Blog posts about uknigeriameeting

Regular readers of this blog will know that the weekly UK-Nigeria meeting has been dominated of late by the aftermath of the post-Election violence in Kafanchan. This week’s meeting was, predictably, no exception. Previously we had been told that the field officers from the Microfinance programme had been afraid to visit their clients in the Muslim Areas due to safety fears. This time, John Dada related the tale of Grace, one of the field workers who - despite the danger - felt compelled to visit one of her clients who had suffered bereavement in the Muslim ares of Kafanchan. “In...

We were pleased to catch up online with some familiar ‘faces’ at the UK-Nigeria team meeting this week. However it was clear from our discussion that although the post-electoral violence in Kaduna State has subsided - helped by the continued presence of soldiers - things were still not back to normal. It became evident that in the wake of the destruction there is much rebuilding to be done, both physically and emotionally. On the physical side, many buildings and homes were destroyed. In previous blogs you can read about the destruction of the vibrant Kafanchan market and the emergence of...

BLOODY post-election violence in rural Kafanchan, Nigeria, has sadly resulted in hundreds of casualties and the senseless destruction of the area’s vital market. With lives on the line and a humanitarian crisis gripping the region, a new initiative is being launched to salvage hope and lasting peace from this catastrophe. This long-term vision, a joint enterprise involving John Dada of Nigeria’s Fantsuam Foundation and Pamela McLean of Dadamac UK, revolves around rebuilding the shattered market under the new title of the Kafanchan Peace Market. It is hoped this will quickly revitalise the fragile local economy, restore reliable food supplies, create...

This is the latest report from Frances - which further illustrates the support that Fantsuam Foundation offers its disadvantaged and diverse community. Last Friday we ( Frances the author and John) went to visit the Almajari who are being supported by Fantsuam Foundation. Almajari are young boys who leave their families to live with a mallam or teacher. They support themselves by seeking alms of money and food around the town and live with the mallam's family in his compound and receive a religious education there. There may be differing views within the community about whether it is right for...

Skype delays tried to de-rail our weekly online meeting between rural Nigeria and the UK. However, one of the benefits of using typed skype messaging is that when there is a time lag the participants are able to write up their input for the various agenda items (which is emailed to us a few days before the meeting). The information is then eventually posted and can be read by everyone. The delays which were intermittent meant that the meeting overran by 40 mins but the format meant that those who needed to ‘leave’ on time could do so. The Meeting:...