The Voice news magazine by The Voice magazine

ISSN:2588-8807

ISSN:1571-3466

Motto: Actuated towards Africa’s advancement

Volume 22. NO. 217 May 2022

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First complete African magazine published in The Netherlands since August 1999

Energetic & Charming: Meet Nigeria’s Ambassador to The Netherlands

Her Excellency, Amb. Dr. Eniola O. Ajayi

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THE VOICE MAGAZINE TEAM Publisher: Stichting Paddi Europa Editor-in-Chief Pastor Amb. Elvis Ndubuisi Iruh elvisiruh@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Founding/Contributing Editor Edward Idahosa Ogbee apexbest2000@yahoo.co.uk Managing Editor Henry D. Oduenyi (Nigeria Office) henry@thenigerianvoice.com Project Coordinator Ifeyinwa Ezeagabu Joy Onoilu (JEBITV) (Belgium) jebitv2003@gmail.com Middle East Vice- President Amb. Laila EL Aftani Rahhal CORRESPONDENTS ABROAD Barrister Eze Eluchie (Nigeria) paddingr@yahoo.com Contributors Rev. Tammy Abusi (Nigeria) tamabusi@gmail.com Elizabeth Kameo (France) Eva Nakato (Uganda) nakatoeva91@gmail.com Jimmie Nicks (Kenya) kollywoodhorizons@gmail.com Eubaldus Enahoro (Nigeria) enabadus2000@yahoo.com PA to Publisher Lilian Akintokun (Mrs) raven_lilian@yahoo.com Magazine Designer David Banjoko davosban@gmail.com MEDIA CONSULTANT Jonathan Mgbejume Abeka Salmin Abdallah Amb. Patrick McCaffrey Mildred Kleinbussink

The Voice magazine The Voice magazine is editorially independent although we enjoys the support of our readers, subscribers, advertisers, non-governmental organizations and in dividuals of like minds; however the magazine publishers are in no way affiliated to any of these bodies or to any other publishing institution or political interest or group. The Voice magazine strives to foster awareness among the African audience and bridge the widening gap between Africans and the rest of the world in news gathering and dissemination. The Voice is published digitally online except on demand, we print hard copy.. If you want to receive a copy, send us your email address. On the Editorial board are Pastor Amb. Elvis Iruh, Jonathan Mgbejume, Sandra Iruh-Monsels, and Henry Oduenyi READ THE VOICE ON LINE AT www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com Our Affiliate partner: www.thenigerianvoice.com Registration NO: (Kvk. Nr. 34.110.928) TAX (BTW) NO: NL806215809B01 ISSN: 1571-3466 (For Print edition) ISSN: 2588-8807 (For Digital edition) For payments, use these bank details: Stichting Paddi Europa SNS Bank Account No: NL29SNSB0908374372 Swift Code: SNSBNL2A

Address: Stichting Paddi Europa Inz The Voice Jeroen Boschplantsoen 82 1318 HH Almere, The Netherlands Land Line: +3136-8801341 Tel.: +31 (0)6-48519292 Mobile: +31 (0)6-84999548 E-mail: info@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Websites: www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com www.thevoiceachieversaward.com www.elvisiruh.com (For the Publisher book)

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Volume 22 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

NO 217 MAY 2022

Contents

May edition 2022 - Volume 22. No 217 38-39

20-24

58-59 ARTICLES

Pages 6 & 7 - Editorial: Impact of Russia invasion of Ukraine on Africa Pages 12-15 - Ambassador Dr. Ajayi hosts Nigerian Media and Entertainment fraternity at her residence Pages 20-24 - Meet Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Netherlands: Her Excellency, Ambassador Dr. Eniola Olaitan Ajayi Learning for Change Pages 28 & 29 - Growing Through Pain Pages 30 – 33- The ‘Witch Camps’ of Northern Ghana Pages 38 & 39 - Former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki dies at 90 Page 42 - Almere Floriade horticulture show opens its doors Pages 46-49 - ‘We Want To Tell Our Own Stories’ Pages 50 & 51 - Don’t leave teen mums behind! Pages 52-54 - The peculiar group of old Wazee Pages 58 & 59 - Victorious Macron vows to unite France after fending off Le Pen threat Pages 60 – 63 - The story of Twerwaneho Listeners’ Club in Uganda Making a difference for the ordinary people.... Pages 64- 66 - My Final Breakthrough (Part 3) Pages 68 & 69 - House of Refuge Ministries (HORM) Nation holds conference for youths

LET US END THE WAR

Get fast results by advertising with us. Call us on +31684999548 or +31648519292 E-mail: info@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Send all your articles for publication....

REGISTER WITH NIGERIA EMBASSY THE HAGUE On behalf of the Nigerian Embassy in The Hague, this is a general public announcement and appeal to all Nigerians resident in the Netherlands either as Students or full time residents with Dutch Nationality or any other nationality but you have proof of being a Nigerian. We kindly advise you to register your current location address and contact details through the Nigerian Embassy for your safety and accountability purposes in case of an emergency of evacuation or exchange of information. The Russian /Ukraine conflict is a learning curve for us all. We live in a time of uncertainty around the world. Note: Your information is not going to be compromised or used for any other purpose than for documentation and records purpose if you are to be reached. Kindly register yourself, spouse, children or any other family member resident with you even if they are undocumented in the country. The link to follow is below or visits the Nigerian Embassy website at www.nigerianembassythehague.nl Signed: Nigerian Ambassador to The Netherlands Her Excellency, Ambassador Dr. Mrs. Eniola Ajayi The Hague, The Netherlands

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Editorial

Impact of Russia invasion of Ukraine on Africa

lthough the war in Ukraine seems far away from Africa, yet Africa is feeling the consequences of the war severely. Ukraine has for years been an attractive country for African students because its tuition fees are more affordable compared to European countries and America. So there is a huge number of Africans studying I Ukraine and they have been forced to abandon their studies and fled for their lives, some are still stranded, unable to make it back to their families in Africa. Other Africans also live and work in Ukraine. With the outbreak of war, concerns are growing about their safety. Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign affairs has urged its more than 1,000 nationals to “shelter” in their homes or in government-designated shelters. But the National Union of Ghana Students called on the government to arrange for their evacuation, saying the war demands a response similar to that taken when the coronavirus pandemic first hit. “We believe the model used for the evacuation of students from China at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic could be adopted in this instance as well,” it said in a statement. The African countries with the most students in Ukraine are Morocco (8,000), Nigeria (4,000) and Egypt (3,500). They constituted almost 20% of all foreign students studying in Ukraine in 2020. Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign

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Affairs said it had “received with surprise” news of Russia’s incursion, and measures were being taken to keep its nationals in Ukraine safe and to “facilitate the evacuation of those who wish to leave” as soon as possible, on good report some Nigerians had returned back home. On the business side of things, Africa is badly hit by this war. The biggest danger Africa face is continues rise in prices of fuel, diesel and even commodities as bread since Russia and Ukraine supply about 30% of the world’s wheat. “The price of bread has been a driving force of political instability, and triggered the Arab Spring. The Maghreb countries - Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Algeria, which rely heavily on wheat, could be worst-affected by the tightening of supplies and an increase in prices, according to report. Kenya is also concerned about the impact of the war - and financial sanctions on Russia could have on its vital tea industry. Russia is among the top five consumers of its tea, helping Kenya earn foreign currency. Oil prices have already surged past $100 per barrel to hit their highest level since 2014. The budgets of oil-producing countries like Nigeria and Angola might get a boost from the rising prices, but the cost of transport is likely to rise for people across the continent. This will have a knock-on effect on the prices of nearly all other products.

“It becomes a double whammy of potentially higher food prices globally and higher energy prices pushing up inflation. And when central banks respond by hiking interest rates, it becomes a triple whammy,” said Charlie Robertson, global chief economist at Renaissance Capital. On the other hand, the war offered massive opportunities for oil- and gas-producing countries. “Europe has to rapidly find alternatives to Russian gas, and the most reliable alternatives are in Africa. It’s a great opportunity for African states to move in, and get new deals done quickly but fears of corruption may also mean that the huge gains from oil would not triple

down to the ordinary masses. The war in Ukraine could have a devastating effect on some African states, threatening their economies and seeing governments come under diplomatic pressure to take sides in the escalating feud between Russia and Western powers. South Africa faces such a dilemma, even before the first missiles have been fired this war has taken a dreadful toll: diverting billions of dollars into rearmament and away from tackling poverty, pandemics, education, inequality and the burgeoning climate crisis in a critical year. What has happened to the fight against corona virus? Nothing seriously rather it has taken a back seat with the war in Ukraine taking the center stage now. South Africa has called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, saying the dispute should be resolved peacefully. “Armed conflict will no doubt result in human suffering and destruction, the effects of which will not only affect Ukraine but also reverberate across the world. No country is immune to the effects of this conflict,” a government statement said. South Africa’s position is a blow to Russia, which sees it as a key ally in Africa. The two countries have strong economic ties, with both being members of Brics - a grouping made up of the world’s emerging economies. South Africa has investments in Russia amounting to nearly 80bn South African rand ($5bn), while Russian investments in South Africa total around 23bn rand.

Kenya, the economic powerhouse of East Africa, and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council has gone further in condemning Russia. In a rousing speech, Kenya’s ambassador at the UN Security Council, Martin Kimani, said: “The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine stands breached. The charter of the United Nations continues to wilt under the relentless assault of the powerful.” Ghana and Gabon - the two other African states on the UN Security Council - also condemned Russia. No African country has so far come out in support of Russia’s intervention, not even Mali and Central African Republic (CAR), where Russian forces are helping the governments fight insurgencies. Every reason nation of the world particularly Africa should stand together to condemn this senseless aggreication against Ukraine and condemn it but President Putin does not seem to listen to any voice of reasoning. One only hopes and pray that this war does not go beyond Ukraine and spread to other countries of the world or the use of biological weapons. Let us support and pray for both Ukraine and Russia that reasoning would prevail than war. ENJOY YOUR NEW EDITION OF THE VOICE MAGAZINE AND JOIN US IN OUR PREPARATION FOR GAMBIA 2022. MORE DETAILS IN THE MAGAZINE

Pastor Amb. Elvis Iruh Editor-in-Chief

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Pastor Roel & Ida Van Rooij Senior Pastor 4Pillars Community Church Almere

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President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC: Excited to join the EAC

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Ambassador Dr. Ajayi hosts Nigerian Media and Entertainment fraternity at her residence

er Excellency, Dr. Eniola Ajayi and other colleagues at the Embassy of Nigeria, The Hague had the honour of receiving Nigerians in the Media and Entertainment Industry who paid her a courtesy visit and she hosted them in her resident in the Netherlands. The Leadership of United Nigeria Platform (UNP) under the caretaker President, Donald Okeke, led the group as the Association is holding its elections at the end of the month to elect new officers to run the affairs of the organization for the next two years. The leader of delegation, Mr. Taiwo Obude, aka; DJ Budette introduced his team of comprising of Nigerian media practitioners in the Netherlands and the Entertainment industry in the Netherlands. He thanked Her Excellency for making out time despite her tight schedule to receive the delegation and she carefully listened to their presentation of which she responded by saying she is an already convert for the media and entertainment industry as she sees them as partners to advance the positive image of Nigeria which we all seek to accomplish therefore she gave her 100% commitment to the group from the mission in terms of support and every other areas of possibility to collaborate with the group. She requested from the group to furnish her office with more information on their various areas of specialty so when they are needed, it would be easy for the Embassy’s to contact the right person or persons.

She calls on the group to remain united and work to unify our fatherland, Nigeria, as we have no other country to be called our own. According to her, the sky is large enough without anyone disturbing the other person so we all can strive for success under a healthy environment of cooperation. She also appeals for Nigerians 12

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across the board to maintain honesty and integrity in whatever they do to protect the name of Nigeria and the host country, the Netherlands. Dr. Ajayi declared that her reasonable service is for the betterment of all Nigeria’s welfare in the Netherlands therefore she called on all Nigerians who are yet to register themselves with the Embassy to do so soonest. “Nigerians have nothing to fear for, we are here to protect the interest of all Nigerians, your information is not being gathered for any other purpose than to know your whereabouts in case of incident like what

here, come to the Embassy if you have any question and connect with the UNP, an association which represents Nigerians in the Netherlands and work with us at the mission house in the Hague. Important issues on possible areas of collaborations were discussed and finalized. The Ambassador reiterated her commitment to INCLUSION, IMAGE BUILDING, INVESTMENT DRIVES AND INNOVATION in technology as core of her journey of International diplomacy, first in Hungary where she served as an Ambassador and now in the Netherlands.

we are witnessing in Ukraine and Russia; nobody planned for it or expected it and we want to be able to account for all Nigerians”. “I need your support to get all Nigerians to register in the Netherlands”, a direct appeal to all Nigerians involved in the media and entertainment industry to use their platforms to encourage other Nigerians who are yet to be registered to do so soonest. Nigerian citizens are our access therefore we have a mission

She offered Nigerian true hospitality to the visiting delegation with food and drinks and after a good time of interaction and photo shoots with the delegation to her residence. Enjoy the captures from the visit to Her Excellency, Dr. Eniola Ajayi, Nigerian Ambassador to The Netherlands. Those who attended the meeting includes, Djbudetee Taiwo Obude, Pastor Elvis Iruh, Mr. Donald Okeke, Continued on Page 14 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Continued from Page 13

DJ Maxwell, Precious Flex J Tijudi, Fester Imoh, Maria Ola, Osarodion Obamedo, Moyinoluwa Rafiu, Sandra Bright, Kema Victor, Willy Olomu, Jmani Olomu, Naomi Shola, DJBigshot On the part of the Embassy we had the following officers; Her Excellency, Dr. Eniola Olaitan Ajayi, Nigerian Ambassador to The Netherlands; Ambassador Oluremi Olutayo Oliyide, Minister Plenipotentiary; Mrs. Omowumi Uko Sunday, Olumuyiwa Paul Aiyedun, First Secretary, Mr. Maxwell Udochi Anu-Okeke, Councellor, Mr. Humphrey Tokuala Isaac and Mr. Abubakar Sadiq Ndalolo, Defence Attache

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YOUR COPY NOW.... Getting to know you written by Pastor Elvis Iruh Pastor Felix Asare wrote the foreword

BOOK REVIEW Pastor Elvis Iruh’s new book is out…… Title: “Getting to know you” - A book on marital steps with information about marriage Author: Pastor Amb. Elvis Iruh About the book Whether you’re preparing for marriage or want to enjoy a deeper union with your spouse, this guide will help you enjoy a relationship built on solid Christian values. Pastor Elvis Iruh is a licensed minister with Victory Outreach International. His book highlights simple principles that are often taken for granted. Learn how to: • get to really know a love interest before deciding to marry; • avoid mistakes that lead to divorce; • appreciate the sanctity of marriage;

partners can carry out with each other as well as guidance for pastors and church leaders who may need help in advising couples. This guide will help couples enjoy marriage that is built to last. ***** About the Author ELVIS IRUH is a native of Delta State, Nigeria. He attended numerous schools in Nigeria, including the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Lagos, Nigeria, before continuing his studies in Europe and earning a degree in theology from Victory Education & Training Institute. He worked for several media organizations in Nigeria as well and has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Voice news magazine since August 1999. He is serving as an associate pastor at Victory Outreach Almere, The Netherlands. The book can be used for educational purposes as well as educating your children on the subject of marriage. He is also available to speak on related topics covered in the book at any organized event or church activities. He is open for collaborative efforts to strengthen marriage institutions worldwide. It is a mission he has dedicated himself to helping the younger generation to talk and address the challenges they face in building good and solid relationships which could end up in marriage. You can purchase the book in Holland via his website: www.elvisiruh.com or through his publishers’: www.authorhouse.com/ Elvis Iruh or on www.amazon.co.uk via this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/ aw/d/1665580844/ref=ox_sc_act_

• forgive your partner when they make mistakes. Before you think of getting married, you should take the necessary steps to really get to know your partner. Your past should not contain any surprises - and your values must be aligned. This revealing book is filled with practical exercises that

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image_1?smid=AHRB2OK2Q2YCL&psc=1 You can contact him directly through any of his social media handle for your questions or comments, he would look into it and respond would be sent to you accordingly. Email: info@elvisiruh.com or elvisiruh@gmail.com

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BOOKS PRESENTATION By Pastor Michael Umerah John-Mllis 1. BOOK ONE: EVERYMAN WANTS REBECCA by Michael Umerah John-Ellis, Details: “Ten Steps To Successful Marriage Union” Uncovering:- Understanding Marriage. ×How to find and attract your dream spouse, establish true love at first impression, and remain treasured by your spouse. **** 2. BOOK TWO: GOD HATES POVERTY by Michael Umerah John-Ellis The book teaches you ways to banish poverty from your life. It expands for you to understand and take advantage of the God’s provided power for wealth, so you can maximize your life. ***** 3. BOOK THREE: THE RIGHT FAMILY by Michael Umerah JohnEllis It shows ways of rediscovering the marriage Union as was divinely envisaged; in concept, wisdom and beauty of God. ****

4. BOOK FOUR: THE LAST OIL by Michael Umerah John-Ellis It is about how to start divine or circular assignments and see them to successful completion. The book uncovers how to properly enter your calling or dream assignments, and the importance of preparatory trading for a successful and fulfilling practice of assignments. **** 5. BOOK FIVE: SPIRIT OF PROPHECY by Michael Umerah John-Ellis It is a complete topical compendium for the Christian empowerment. The book expounds to teach on what Prophecy is and not, the levels of Prophecy, how prophecies come for the advantage believers, and proper ministerial representation of God as his/her mouthpiece and employer. All books are published on www.amazon.com For your reading pleasure as hard copy or Kindle edition and downloads, Contact +2348032265077 or +2347086368336. E-Mail: michaeljohnellis@gmail.com

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Charming and energetic per excellence Diplomat

Meet Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Netherlands: Her Excellency, Ambassador Dr. Eniola Olaitan Ajayi By Our Correspondent

nder one year into her tenure as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Her Excellency, Ambassador Dr. Eniola Ajayi has brought her bearing to change how things are done at the Nigerian mission house in Den Haag. She has given the Embassy a face lift from what it used to be and the Nigerian Embassy has continued to receive praises from visitors and it is now looking like what befits Nigeria as a mission house courtesy of a hard working and charming Ambassador. Her staff says she is a workaholic in a positive sense as she ensures that all things that need to be done get done at the Embassy. The Embassy despite the difficult times with covid restrictions and the effect of the corona virus has remained relevant and more efficient in service delivery compared to past administrators. All of this has to do with the dogmatic style of leadership of the new Ambassador. In this edition of the Voice magazine, we take a closer look at the life and the woman in charge of Nigerians in the Netherlands. Join us to profile the life of Ambassador Dr. Mrs. Eniola Ajayi. Her Excellency, Dr. Eniola Olaitan Ajayi is the current serving Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands. She presented her credentials to His Majesty King Willem Alexander on June 2nd, 2021. Barely a year on the job but she has won herself into the Nigerian community in the Netherlands and the diplomatic field. Her Excellency was born in Ipoti Ekiti, Ekiti State on 18th January 1965. A background check on her speaks volume of an efficient goal getter and hardworking professional. Before her career in diplomacy, Dr. Ajayi was active in the field of optometry, a specialist as a 20

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Year. Subsequently, in 2011, she also became a Fellow of the NOA. During this time, Dr. Ajayi continued her social contributions, namely being the Secretary of the Save a Sight and Vision Foundation, which is an NGO of the NOA’s Lagos branch. She has held this position from early 2009 until now. Dr. Ajayi finally entered the political realm in 2010 when she was appointed Honourable Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology for Ekiti State. During her three-year term in office, she won the Top Elegance Magazine Award for Best Commissioner of the Year in 2012, as well as the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Benin Alumni Worldwide in the same year. Following this role, she was the Honourable Commissioner for EnvironHer Excellency, Dr. Eniola Ajayi as Chairperson of the Executive Council of ment for Ekiti State from 2013 to 2015. the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Den Towards the end of her term, she was also Haag, The Netherlands the candidate of the All Progressives Congress Party (APC) for the Ekiti Central doctor on eyes. She acquired a Bachelor of Science in Federal Constituency 1, which was part Optometry from the University of Benin, Nigeria in 1986 of the House of Representative Elections in March 2015. and she started her working experience at 445 Nigeria Airforce Base Hospital in Lagos where she functioned Not long after that she was drafted into the Foreign Seras an Ocular Pathologist and Chief Optometrist for over vice. In 2017, she embarked on her first term abroad twenty years. During this time, Dr. Ajayi also pursued a Master of Philosophy in Ocular Pathology in 1994 from the University of London and a Doctorate degree in Optometry from the University of Benin in 2002. Due to her outstanding academic performances, she was the sole recipient of the A. H Bygott Postgraduate Studentship Award of 1993 and was the best graduating student of the Special Doctor of Optometry class of 2000. After completing her education, in addition to committing herself to her position at the hospital, Dr. Ajayi also made multiple social contributions within the field of optometry. She was the chairperson for World Optometry Day in 2004 and 2005, as well as chairperson for the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) from 2005 to 2013. In 2007, Dr. Ajayi became sole proprietor as she opened her eye clinic, Enny Eye Care. In the years of her private practice, she was named Optometrist of the Year and NOA Chairman of the Year in 2009. In the following year, she was also awarded the title Eye-care Personality of the

as Ambassador of Nigeria to Hungary, with concurrent accreditation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. As a result of her dedication to her ambassadorial job, Afe Babalola Beneficiaries Worldwide recognized her with the Distinguished Ambassador of the Year Award in 2019. Additionally, her embassy was adjudged the best by Nigerians in Diaspora in the following year. Towards the end of her term, she also received the Best Continued on Page 22 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Continued on Page 21

Ambassador Award from the African Forum in 2021. Even when she was out of the country, Dr. Ajayi continued to be active in the NOA as she became a member of the Board of Trustees in 2019.

Only a month after concluding her term in early 2021, Dr. Ajayi was reappointed to Nigeria’s Ambassador to The Netherlands. Despite the challenging times of her appointment, it has not taken her a long time to settle in and began to function as a successful diplomat she is. She has continued to work towards several goals she set out to achieve in international diplomacy which includes the following; inclusion for all Nigerian citizens in her host country, the Netherlands; to improve investment drives towards Nige-

ria; too continue to improve the image building process of making Nigeria a branded name for all to appreciate host countries, investment drives, image building for Ni22

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geria, and promote Nigeria as a land of great opportunities amongst others. One particular idea Dr. Ajayi has in mind is advancing a Citizens Charter, through which the interests and rights of the weakest are protected. The life of every Nigerian – able or vulnerable, young or old, male or female, Muslim or Christian would count. With this, she believes a greater Nigeria is possible. Therefore after the outbreak of corona virus, she has continued to appeal to all Nigerians to be careful and continue to protect themselves from the devastating effect of the virus. As part of the precaution is to continue to wear the face mask and observe all the healthy protocols to reduce the spread of infection of the sickness. When there is time to spare, Dr. Ajayi loves to read, listen to music such as jazz and gospel, and write. She usually creates poems or writes about contemporary issues; some of her publications include Nigeria: Land of Opportunities (2018), Arts, Culture and Tourism in Nigeria (2019), and Food, Culture and Cuisine in Nigeria (2020). Her latest work with the Embassy of Nigeria in Hungary won the Nigeria Export Promotion Council Award last year. Aside from her aforementioned hobbies, Dr. Ajayi is also passionate about empowering and motivating the youth. This is why she contributed to several schools throughout the years, including the Chrisland School at Ladipo Oluwole, Ikeja, Lagos, as Chairperson of the parent-teacher association from 2005 to 2008. She has also been a member of the Board of Governors at Olashore International School from 2006 until now. Furthermore, she was the long-time President of the Christ School Ado – Ekiti Alumni Association 75/80 Set from 2005 to 2013. Additionally, Dr. Ajayi is devoted to supporting pregnant and expecting parents through Church Ministry. Nigerians in the Netherlands and the diplomatic community are blessed to have her serve as Nigeria’s Ambassador. Her impact is immediate and effective according to Nigerians who have encountered her. “She is the best Ambassador in over 20 years I have lived in the Netherlands, she is simple, open and straight forward, willing to help where she could and very easy to access. I am very blessed to have met her and I wish her success in her tenure as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Netherlands”, says Mr. Chris Okojie, a Nigerian resident in Amsterdam.

All the above-mentioned areas are in the forefront of her activity as an Ambassador, she is striving to bring Nigeria and the Netherlands as close to each other as possible by developing cooperation in all areas of economic advancement, Holland is Nigeria’s fourth biggest trading partner in the world and first in Europe, so the Netherlands is strategic for her work as Nigeria’s Ambassador. The main priorities of her journey into the world of diplomacy are: (a) citizen’s diplomacy; (b) economic diplomacy and (c) social diplomacy, (d) Innovation diplomacy; these areas constituting the focus of her philosophy of 4I’s: Inclusion, Investment and Image Building and Innovation. Within a short time as Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, she has accomplished so much including being the chair of the OPCW.

H.E. Dr. Eniola Ajayi had a truly outstanding cooperation of the delegates to the 99th session of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as Chairperson. Ambassador Oluremi Oliyide and Mr. Muyiwa Aiyedun ably supported her. It has been truly rewarding to see the Executive Council, which began on March 8, 2022 till March 10, 2022 close in record time. The end goal is to stop the use of Chemical Weapons by participating countries around the world. She has received and hosted a fact-finding trade mission from Nigeria comprising of 34 delegates. The Netherlands Consulate in Nigeria coordinated the mission with the support of Netherlands Africa Business Council (NABC), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and Embassy of Nigeria at The Hague. It focused on Horticulture, Circular Economy and Energy Transition. The three-day working visit was very intense and highly engaging. H.E. Ambassador Dr. Eniola Ajayi in the company of Senior Counselor of Embassy of Nigeria at The Hague, Mr. Maxwell Anu-Okeke, Mrs. Omowunmi Sunday Uko, Ms. Adepeju Adewoye and Ms. Ese Aghoghovbia have also attended this year’s International Women’s Day celebration by African Women and Nigerian Women in Netherlands. The joyous occasion organized by UNP - United Nigeria Platform with support from The Hague Municipality, Embassy of Nigeria at The Hague and PEP. In few months in office, Her Excellency has accomplished so much; recently she led a delegation from the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mr. Karim Khan QC on his official visit to Nigeria where he was received and held a meeting with the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Geoffrey Onyeama. Also present at the meeting were the Chief of Staff to Mr. President, H.E. Ambassador Gambari, DG NIA Ahmed Rufai Abubakar and our Ambassador, Mrs. Dr. Ajayi before they paid a courtesy visit to H.E. President Muhammad Buhari who received them in audience at the State House Aso-Rock, Abuja, Nigeria. We are wishing her many more successes during her tenure as Ambassador of Nigeria to The Netherlands.

Ambassador, Dr. Eniola Ajayi Her Excellency, Nigerian Ambassador to the Kingdom of The Netherlands

You can follow her through all the Embassy social handles on Facebook: Embassy of Nigeria at The Hague Website: www.nigerianembassythehague.nl

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Learning for Change

he wise is a knowledge holder and keeper. Learning is a lifelong process. In other words, we never graduate from the schools of life as long as we are still on planet earth. We learn to walk, to speak intelligibly and we learn to be part of our communities. Many factors affect our learning and some of these are personal, others are social, cultural, and economic. In this information age, we need guidance to navigate the rapidly changing situations with virtually everything around us. There must be few things that are not in a flux around us. We struggle to keep up with changes in our culture, social norms, environment, politics, education, the arts and even spirituality. In the midst of the stormy changes, we note that humans and human institutions propel the changes, including corporations. Wisdom requires a rethink of current modes of production, reproduction, and consumption. Consciously retaining understanding of our being, as humans, in the community of other beings is essential in an age such as we are in. To do otherwise is

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By HOMEf

to become beings that have lost both memory and mind. We need information and we are having more than we can analyze and sift for our purposes. This state of things requires that we pause, sit, and learn. We need to learn from the wise, the proverbial seated elders who see far beyond what the youths cannot see standing on top of palm trees. Although the wise do have information, information on its own is not wisdom. Information is like tools in a box. Anyone could own or access the toolbox, but only the trained or schooled would know what tools to use and for what purpose. Mere information is not wisdom. Having a pouch filled with information does not make anyone wise. Knowing what to do with gathered information per time makes one wise. Our elders and initiates into diverse age groups hold a vast array of knowledge about our forests, ocean, and biodiversity generally. As we know, some of the knowledge are not accessible to all and could get

lost if the holders are not available or willing to share such. Why sit at the feet of the wise and the knowledge holders in natural and less formal settings? We do this with the aim of bridging the gap and building relationships between the learner and the teacher. It is essential to build relationships of trust to facilitate knowledge sharing, interrogation and understanding. Through Learning from the Wise (LftW) we hope to tap into the reservoir of the abundant knowledge of our people from especially knowledgeable and respected individuals. What are the questions plaguing the youths? How are they interpreting the objective conditions around them? What is their reading of the state of the environment and energy systems? We don’t just want our youths to know the solutions; we want them to know how to find solutions to known problems and even to those yet to occur. Our hope is that our youths will not only be recipients but agents and broadcasters of knowledge and wisdom using contemporary tools such as those available on social media platforms and which are readily utilized by them. It is our desire that the youths bear in mind that, as is the case with all teachers, knowledge holders are often not self-taught. They learn from other knowledge holders and understand that they hold the knowledge as a sacred trust,

as something to be shared with others. The knowledge cuts across all spectrums of knowing and includes those on environment, traditional medicine, varieties of crops and animals, value systems, ceremonials, values, and language. Our knowledge keepers are custodians of our tangible and intangible cultural heritage embodied and manifested in our knowledge system, including fishing and farming systems, customs, poetry, songs, architecture, and other art forms. The fact that the tangible and intangible are closely intertwined as a multilayered tapestry of life urges us to fundamentally look at our learning processes and spaces. What are the available spaces for learning? Universities? Why not Multiversities? How come our polytechnics are more like mono-technics? What are our youths educated for? Are they educated for life steeped in solidarity, dignity, and respect, or are they trained to be mere economic beings, sold and bought by the highest bidder? Can such narrow educational pathways prepare a people for the increasingly complex challenges they must face? LftW is a platform for active acquisition of knowledge, bearing in mind the urgent need to propel changes in our society, the kind of change we desire and need. The change that is for the people and from the people.

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Growing Through Pain Witten by Martha Nalukenge

rdinand Muwulya Moses went through a very painful and life-changing ordeal that not only grew his faith but also led him to priesthood; the heart-rending death of his daughter. He then delved into journalism as a health reporter in a bid to teach people about health issues and dissuade them from treating conventional diseases in non-conventional ways (witchcraft). He shares with Vice Versa Global’s correspondent Martha Nalukenge

about his daughter’s death and turning point to Christ. Primarily a teacher, 36-year-old Moses became a trained journalist focusing on health issues who worked with Daily Monitor, a leading Ugandan daily. Afterwards, he did communications with Kitovu Mobile, a medical and community empowerment organization. He left the latter 28

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to concentrate on the Ministry of God; a calling he admits wasn’t easy given the painful circumstances that led to it. Moses’ calling to ministry stemmed from the painful experience of nursing his daughter, the late Nabuuma Claire Kisakye, who later succumbed to cancer. She had been diagnosed with retinoblastoma cancer, an eye cancer that begins in the retina. “From the day my baby saw the light of day, this disease troubled her, and would eventually take her life. Unfortunately at the time, we had no idea what ailment it was,” he confesses. In his quest to find out what could be the issue, he visited a couple of witchdoctor shrines to try and get to the root of the problem. He admits that he wasn’t a staunch believer in God at the time. Divine Revelation In one of the shrines, his elder daughter astounded them when she burst into a gospel worship song that scared the gods. Apparently, the gods came but they were vexed by it. That day marked the beginning of his turning point in life. The witch doctors gave them charms that didn’t work, they just made things worse. “When I called him to complain, he responded by telling me that the Sovereign Lord had not willed it!” he recalls. This was a loud statement both spiritually and mentally. In another shrine that he visited, a young girl who was told to sip fresh blood oozing from a

slaughtered goat moved him. The Diagnosis Nabuuma Claire Kisakye was two and a half years old when she lost her sight. She was taken to Mengo Hospital, in Mengo where she was diagnosed with cancer from where they were advised to take her to Ruharo Health Center in

The witch doctors gave them charms that didn’t work, they just made things worse.

Mbarara District. The doctors at the hospital suggested that she would have to undergo surgery to remove her eyes to avoid further spread of cancer to the brain. However, this wasn’t possible due to the fact that she was underweight at the time, so they had to postpone the operation to give her time to gain some weight. Sadly due to the delay, cancer spread to her spinal cord. She developed several convulsions that persisted until she took her last breath. Turning Point When his daughter died on 29/09/2015, he was told by a priest to accept Christ as his Lord and savior. He told him that their daughter, whom they loved dearly, had gone to be with the Lord. He added that it would be hard for them to see her again if they did not accept Jesus Christ in their lives. That was his ultimate turning point to turn to God whom he had come very close to after worrying for the life of his child. Two years later, he accepted Jesus after reading the scriptures and finding inner peace. The turning point The guilt of visiting shrines that had been eating him up had vanished. He recalls the young girl in the shrine who sipped blood and wonders if she also got saved and got some peace of mind, which Jesus gives. Inspired by his past failures and ignorance about divine mercy, he made a resolution. He resolved to see people getting saved from the troubles of the world. Making the bible his friend, he landed on Romans 10:1 which showed him that St Paul had the same wish. “The subsequent verses in this scripture reveal that my wish would not come true if I don’t preach the gospel.” He goes on to say, “No one would preach if they haven’t been sent, and they can’t be sent if they have not been called.” That’s when he embraced his calling of joining the ministry to preach the Word of God and have people saved. “I am happy that people have accepted Christ.” While most people go through misfortunes that befall them Moses Muwulya did not only go through pain but grew through it. We pray the country promotes awareness among her people to deter them from treating conventional diseases in non-conventional ways (witchcraft). This will go a long way in demystifying the mystery of cancer, which is widely assumed to be witchcraft. To Nabuuma Claire Kisakye and all the other victims who have succumbed to this deadly disease, may your souls rest in peace. Courtesy of Vice Versa Global www.viceversaglobal.com www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

The ‘Witch Camps’ of Northern Ghana Written by Eunice Mwaura

n most societies, old age is associated with wisdom, and the elderly are cherished and revered, but in certain northern parts of Ghana, it is linked to witchcraft. Some elderly people – mostly women – are forced to flee their homes for their own safety and seek shelter in dilapidated and remote settlements called ‘witch camps.’ Nevertheless, a turning point is in sight: the end is imminent. Tamale is reputed as the fastest growing city in West Africa. It is also the home of Songtaba, a civil society organization that has been advocating for the rights of women, especially those who are outcasts, since 2005. In this region especially, that is the order of the day. At the entrance, Abdul Kasiru Shani is already waiting; he is the head of programs and policies. Inside, an intriguing image of hands holding each other by the wrists around a woman’s figure immediately captures our attention. ‘That’s our logo,’ he tells us. ‘Songtaba is a Dagbani word in the local dialect that means “helping each other” – which is what we are trying to do. Here in the north, women’s and girls’ rights have been under pressure for a long time. Now, more than ever, there is a need to fight for their rights. That is why the logo shows a kind of support circle around them.’ Witch Camps The story of witch camps does not seem to be a phenomenon prevalent only in northern Ghana; it is endemic to many West African countries and an element within traditional religion. These are stories of women who have long been treated unfairly and marginalized because of cultural practices and beliefs. Natural occurrences such as death, drought, sudden illness, or an apparition in a person’s dreams have always been used to put people away

indefinitely in isolation or ‘witch camps.’ The camps in northern Ghana date back more than a century, it is thought. Somehow, this practice has stood the test of time – yet the victims are still the same: women. There are currently four camps, spread out across the region, with a total of 277 women. Abdul Kasiru Shan terms most who have escaped as lucky as some are lynched and in extreme cases torched by an angry mob after the accusations have been leveled. ‘We decided to intervene,’ Kasiru says, ‘because the allegations affected not only women but also young girls. Usually, the women flee with their daughters or granddaughters once they have to leave their homes.’ According to him, there always seems to be a motive behind the accusations. He cites the example of a widow

Conical huts at Kpatinga witch camp

who might face such claims now that there is no male figure to protect her. ‘Most claims are made by family members, in this case when there is a desire to seize property left by the deceased spouse. It is evident that

being accused of witchcraft has become a gendered issue, disproportionately biased against women as a group.’The value of old age in some cultures and the status that comes with it is unfortunately not universally recognized. Sometimes the elderly – and mostly women – bear the brunt of accusations because they are assumed not to be as useful to the community as they once were. Age-related mental illnesses have exacerbated such accusations, although there are relatives who would bring their elderly mothers or grandmothers to the camps in advance, because of the high number of accusations against old women. This way, they would not be subjected to humiliation, should an accusation be made. It is generally accepted that they should be exiled far away from their original communities to ensure that ‘their evil magic’ cannot harm others. As a result, their children drop out of school because it is no longer nearby. And if they could

as ‘someone who owns the land.’ They are the physical custodians, believed to possess unusual abilities and are capable of seeing things others cannot. When a suspected ‘witch’ arrives, the keepers perform a cleansing ritual at the altars present in each camp. Ironically, most of the keepers are men. An elderly man, most likely in his 70s and dressed in white, crosses the compound. His name is Mba Sampa, the tindana on duty and the keeper of Kpatinga camp for over ten years. He sits down at the base of a particularly large tree, at the far end of the quarters. As soon as he sits down, the women start emerging from their huts, their slow gait betraying their age. The oldest resident has been here for over twenty years and they all had to undergo a ritual test at one time or another, to find out who is a witch and who is not. ‘When someone is suspected of witchcraft and expelled from the community,’ says Salifu Haruna, the learning and management officer at Songtaba and our translator for the trip from the local dialect, ‘first a ritual has to take place. This determines whether someone is acquitted of the accusation or not. Usually, the tindana does it: he cuts the neck of a chicken and the way the chicken dies determines whether someone is guilty or innocent. If the chicken dies head down, the woman is said to be guilty and is no longer welcome in the community. But, regardless of the outcome of the ritual of determination, the humiliation of participating in it often leaves the women scarred. They may stay, but the stigma haunts them, with the chance of a new accusation still looming. Although the camps can be seen as incarceration centers, to some Woman and child at the Kpatinga camp extent they are also places of refuge. This is because they offer still go to school, they would undoubtedly quit anyway due the women a sense of security from the people who want to the shame, social pressure, and stigmatization associated to hurt them. They lack running water, electricity, and with witchcraft. Making the camps their home is the only proper sanitation, but some would rather spend their lives option left for these women and girls, perhaps with a few here than return to their old communities for fear of new possessions to remind them of their old lives. charges.‘Most of these women are widows,’ says Haruna. The Undignified Settlements ‘Some have been excommunicated for being too old. If After more than a hundred kilometers on a dusty road, you look at how issues of witchcraft are dealt with, there winding through the endless, dry savannah lined with is clearly gender discrimination and human rights abuses. villages, we finally arrive at Kpatinga camp. The view is Fortunately, people are beginning to realize this.’ blocked by a dense bush, which clings to anything and Reintegration anyone who tries to peer through – there isn’t even a To put this into context, Haruna gives the example of a footpath to indicate that people actually live beyond this woman who becomes financially independent. It is believed greenery. The camp itself has a number of old rugged huts, that women are not supposed to tower over men, and if they some with conical tin roofs while others are thatched. Each do, it is supposedly through witchcraft. Such accusations camp is headed by a tindana, translated from the Dagbani are especially prevalent in the poor north, where there Continued on Page 32 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Continued on Page 31

is little education. When we started our reintegration beat her up.’‘We have employed youth activists to make program, this was clear as day.’ their fellow youth aware of these outrages. Through their ‘That’s right,’ says Abdul Kasiru Shani, who is also with intervention, people are starting to see the benefit of getting us. ‘I remember when we started the reintegration, a friend the women back, of reintegrating them into the community. of mine approached me on the street and said, “You say you They are now also involved in the national conversation want to bring the witches back into the community? We will about this topic, which was previously taboo.’Songtaba never accept them!” He went on to add that if we persisted currently has a reintegration committee made up of the they would kill them.’ He recollects that he had to explain clergy, civil society, state institutions, and the traditional that it was a violation of their human rights, something authority. It has been essential in moving this issue up the his friend had clearly demonstrated he wasn’t aware of. national agenda by engaging all relevant people – and now Kasiru’s main concern was a 2011 government decree that the women can safely reintegrate into their society. ordered the closure of the camps after a year, as a strategy Ayishetu’s Saga to prevent the exile. But with an attitude like his friend’s, it Ayishetu Adam is a classic example of the impact of their had no chance of success. ‘Where would the women go?’ work. She reintegrated into Kalphoni, one of Ghana’s Kasiru asks. ‘To their community they are pariahs. If they northern districts, although she later moved to Sognayili went back, most of them – if not all of them – would be community to live with her son. Thus, through Songtaba killed.’It is thanks to the intervention of ActionAid Ghana and the committee partners, all women are given the choice and Songtaba that the decree was delayed so that they could of either going back to their old communities or moving to look for other safe and sustainable ways to reintegrate new ones. After hours of trying to locate where she moved the women. Since it is a to, we finally locate her culturally ingrained practice, new residence. It is eight a deliberate approach o’clock in the evening and was needed to eradicate it she is sitting on a wooden completely – and education chair, under a dimmed was best placed to achieve light bulb in front of a this. little brick house, which Engaging Relevant she says Songtaba helped Stakeholders to build. She lives there ‘Reintegration is not easy,’ with her son, daughter-inKasiru continues, ‘but law, and grandchild. She we are making progress can now call it her home, by involving traditional something she thought she and state authorities at the would never be able to do. municipal and district level It has been seven months and seeing how they would since she left the Kukua Woman making food at the Kpatinga witch camp handle it from a human camp where she lived for rights perspective. We have ten years. She does not started a program called The Gender Transformational By- know her age, like so many of her peers in the camp, but Laws, designed to punish the way women are accused and the events that led up to her expulsion are firmly etched in ostracised.’Working with the traditional authority, whom her memory. Kasiru sees as the guardians of the ancient culture, has ‘I am from Tampion,’ she says, a village not far from paid off. If these high-profile leaders approach the issue Kpatinga camp. I was the second wife of a man who had from a human rights perspective, they can engage their three wives. After there was a tragic death in our home, communities and encourage them to reflect even more relatives and my fellow housewives started to accuse me.’ deeply or precisely on how women are now accused. She falls silent for a moment, hesitating. Her son Adam The majority of people in this region practice the Islamic Andani notices the discomfort and continues the story. faith, so Kasiru also involved the religious leaders in the He vividly remembers when his elder brother called, discussion. He emphasizes that it is not Songtaba’s role informing him that their mother had been summoned to to determine whether someone is a witch or not but to the chief’s palace.‘They accused her of being behind the challenge the way the accusations are made. death of my stepbrother, the son of a fellow wife, and she ‘Often it’s the youth that will start the extremely violent was convicted for it. We were inconsolable, but the whole behavior against those women. They point fingers and community wanted her gone. It was out of our control, so come out in huge numbers, declaring that they never want we had to let her go.’ His own life was never the same, to see that person around again and if she doesn’t flee, they especially when he went blind soon after. 32

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can easily get all the help I need.’ She concludes by saying that she would not wish anyone a life in the camps.

Children at the Kpatinga Witch Camp He was thirty at the time and could think of nothing else. ‘Every time I held a plate of food,’ he says, ‘my thoughts were with my mother: What could she be eating right now?’ The fact that he could not even visit the camp troubled his mind even more. Such visits require permission from the local chief, which is a lengthy process in any case, but since these women have been reduced to outcasts and nobody wants to have anything to do with them, family visits are usually infrequent. Andani argues that women should no longer be victims of this. He relates it to himself: ‘I am blind, but you don’t hear me blaming anyone or saying it’s because of witchcraft.’ He could have engaged a fortune-teller, he says, which is common in such cases. But he does not believe it is because of evil spirits, so he refrains from doing so, as it would cause yet another woman to be banished. ‘I was lucky to be a bit older when my mother had to leave, so the backlash from the community was not as intense. But not too many children will be that lucky if the practice continues.’ ‘Countless children have been deprived of their mother’s care and the girls living in the camps are not given an equal opportunity for a good education. We are stifling the vitality of our communities all in the name of old customs and ideas.’‘I am very happy,’ his mother adds, ‘now that I am reunited with my family. Some relatives can visit me again. This was not possible before, in the camp, where she brooded unceasingly about her approaching old age, with no one to look after her. ‘Now that I am home, I

Sustainable Solutions Since Songtaba began their advocacy and support work, they have helped reintegrate more than two hundred women into the community and managed to dismantle two camps, in collaboration with ActionAid and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. Nevertheless, there is nothing sustainable that the women in the camps can do: those from Kpatinga live on philanthropic gestures and well-wishers for their basic necessities. ‘We suggested and set up activities in which the women from the camp could participate,’ says Kasiru, ‘such as farming, for which we arranged land from landowners. But now most of them are too old and cannot cope with farming, so they depend on what we have to offer. To supplement Songtaba’s support, the younger women of Kpatinga do menial farming works on nearby farms.’Because of Songtaba’s intervention, some of the women now fall under the government’s social security program, called LEAP, which was set up in 2007 together with UNICEF Ghana and USAID. Its aim is to solve acute poverty by providing a monthly allowance and health insurance to highly vulnerable groups. Salifu Haruna adds that Songtaba has been instrumental in reducing gender-based violence and human rights violations in the north. ‘We are also making sure that girls from the camps can get a good education – not just to enroll in school, but that they stay and finish. Most women have now been safely resettled, either in their old community or in a new one, without being accused of witchcraft again. This suggests that our approach is quite sustainable.’‘The fact that things are going so well,’ he says, ‘is also because people are now much more aware of each other’s rights. With government support, lynching and banishments will soon be banned. Songtaba is hopeful that this practice will be a thing of the past. Our only long-term solution is to abolish the camps,’ says Kasiru. ‘Caring for the elderly women will no longer be a problem once they are reintegrated into society.’ Courtesy of Vice Versa Global www.viceversaglobal.com

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Congratulations to Her Excellency, Dr. Shaikha Fatimah Tagwai Aji, FCMA, GOOA on 15th April 2022

Good health and God’s continued blessing upon your life. You have been a blessing to Humanity

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Former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki dies at 90

ibaki’s legacy was marred when irregularities during a re-election bid ended in deadly violence yet the former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, who led the country from 2002 to 2013, would be remembered as a great economy reformer who helped his country to stay ahead of many of their counterparts in East Africa. Mwai Kibaki has died at 90, survived a terrible road accident that nearly paralyzed him. As leader, President Kibaki, one of the country’s richest men, ushered in economic reforms and a new constitution but failed to deliver on promises to combat corruption. His tenure was marred by the disputed 2007 polls that led to deadly violence. In 2002, the British-educated economist won a landslide election, upsetting a candidate handpicked by outgoing president Daniel arap Moi. Kibaki had previously served as Moi’s vice president.

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Kibaki’s fiscal prudence and infrastructure projects breathed life back into Kenya’s sluggish economy, and he is also credited with ending many restrictions on freedom of expression. However, a rift with the popular Raila Odinga, a fellow leader in the NARC coalition, led to a bitter showdown that turned violent during the election in 2007. With Odinga ahead by several hundred thousand votes, the electoral commission abruptly stopped announcing the results and ejected journalists. Hours later, the commission announced Kibaki had won by a narrow margin and he was hurriedly sworn in. Election observers said the polls were flawed and Odinga called for protests. Amid a crackdown by security forces, ethnic violence flared in Nairobi’s slums, the Rift Valley highlands and the lakeside city of Kisumu. In one incident, several people

were burned alive in a church in Eldoret, in the Rift Valley part of the country. At least 1,250 people were killed before former United Nations chief, late Dr. Kofi Annan brokered a peace deal that saw the formation of a grand coalition government, with Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga being sworn in as Prime Minister in a power sharing agreement. The coalition lasted five years and a new constitution was enacted in 2010 that devolved some powers from the presidency to the counties. The son of a tobacco trader, Kibaki attended Kampala’s Makerere University before becoming the first African to earn a first-class degree from the London School of Economics.

He returned to Makerere as an economics lecturer in 1958. Following Kenya’s independence, he was selected to parliament and became an aide to founding President Jomo Kenyatta. Two years later, he was appointed commerce and industry minister. Kibaki later served as Moi’s vice president, but a spat saw him moved to several less prominent posts before he switched to the opposition and won the election. He is survived by several children and grandchildren. Thousands of Kenyans have continued to pay tribute to the former President they fondly describe as gentle giant. More tributes would follow as preparations would be under way to celebrate his life and he would be given a state burial like his former boss, Late Daniel Arap Moi

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Almere Floriade horticulture show opens its doors

he Floriade horticultural show, which takes place in the Netherlands every 10 years has open its doors to global view in Almere since the mid of April 2022.

The event was first held in Rotterdam in 1960 with the aim of strengthening the image of the Dutch horticulture sector,

and to promote exports, but has since expanded into an international plant and garden show with exhibitors from other countries. This year’s theme is Growing Green Cities, with a focus on greening urban areas and, the organizers say, 33 other countries are also showcasing their approach. Other highlights include the one hectare green house, where plant and flower competitions

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will take place, and a cable car crossing across the site. However, the event has been bogged down in controversy since its launch, and has gone way over its initial €10 million budget. The final price tag is unclear, but the Dutch press suggests that the total cost could be as high as €200 million, and that the event will have lost €100 million when it closes. Some two million paying visitors are needed to cover the cost, local broadcaster Omroep Flevoland said. Others have put the necessary visitor numbers at 10 million to break even. The last Floriades in Venlo, Haarlemermeer and Zoetermeer editions also lost money. Nevertheless, the organizers and local authorities say the event does leave lasting benefits – in the case of Almere, a new park and green residential area – one reason for the high cost of the development. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima performed the opening ceremony and since then it is open to the public. If you are in Almere, you are encouraged to visit the showpiece on display and enjoy the hospitality of Almere, one of the fastest growing cities in Europe with nearly 250,000 residents.

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Nigerian Christians under persecution Help us please.......

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‘We Want To Tell Our Own Stories’ Written by Joost Bastmeijer

ince 1st January 2022, Eunice Mwaura has been sharing the editorial board of Vice Versa with Marc Broere, where she will primarily be responsible for the Global section. In this introductory interview, the young Kenyan explains why it is high time for a new sound, time to ‘shift the African narrative.’ In the north of Nairobi, 26-year-old Eunice Mwaura sips juice in one of the many coffee bars at The Village Market. Although the name suggests otherwise, this is one of the Kenyan capital’s largest shopping centers – where good money is made owing to its close proximity to the immense UN site and its thousands of employees. The high-security concrete complex is on the outskirts of the city, near Ruaka, a fast-growing township where Mwaura has been living for a year now. ‘That is where I feel most at ease,’ she says, opening a notebook. ‘I am not a city person. Now I have one foot in the city and the other outside.’She knows the quiet life well: she was born and raised in Limuru, a small town that lies in the vast tea fields under the smoke of the capital. She is – ‘thank God’ – almost

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done with her finance studies at the University of Nairobi, so she can focus on her new job: running Vice Versa Global. We want to tell our own stories A finance degree and a career in media are seemingly far apart. How did that work out for you? ‘I’ve always had a passion for journalism,’ she says, ‘and I’ve been writing stories since I was a child. After secondary school, I wanted to study communication sciences, but my father thought differently. I am currently in my final year but to be honest it is not my cup of tea. All the same, I have always continued to write.’ How did you end up at Vice Versa? ‘I met Marc (Broere, ed.) through a mutual friend in Nairobi. He told me about his work and I just thought: this is exactly what I want to do. Then I got the chance to work as a translator whenever he’d visit. In those two years, I got to know the profession very well and realized that I could help Marc understand the full context so he could make a more balanced story. When it became clear that I could help him with more than just translation, we started writing pieces together.’

Interview With Erisen, a Samburu youth advocate In what way does it contribute that you, as a Kenyan, are contributing to these stories? ‘I think I can get more out of an interview as compared to a foreign journalist. I speak the same language as the interviewee, which creates a sense of familiarity. Moreover, I understand the context of the story, which enables the interviewee to give everything. You need both the perspective of an outsider and an insider. That’s why working with Marc was so complementary: he is a good interviewer with a mountain of experience. When we work on a story, we complement each other – and together we get to the heart of the matter.’ Since 1 January, you have been co-editor-in-chief of Vice Versa. What does that role entail? ‘I am mainly responsible for our new platform, Vice Versa Global, which is run by young African journalists. I’ve been involved for a year; previously as coordinator and recently as

from foreign journalists who come to record our stories. We live on the youngest continent in the world, demographically speaking, yet there are almost no platforms for young people to tell their stories.’ How are young people side-lined? ‘Young people and also women are always seen as spectators. We are not involved in the debate or in decision-making. In the African context specifically, rules and laws are written without us having any say in them. You hardly ever hear the voice of the youth and that is the gap we want to fill with Vice Versa Global. By making use of local talent, we hope to be able to focus on subjects that are rarely covered in the mainstream media. We want to change the perspective on our continent, so that other international media houses also take the stories from Africa seriously. We want to shift the African narrative.’ nterview with Harruna of Songtaba C.S.O in Ghana You want to have a say.

editor-in-chief. In the coming period, I will continue to focus on Vice Versa Global.’ What kind of stories do you want to tell with it? ‘Our own stories. The context – which I just mentioned – is very important to us, and it is often lacking in the stories

‘Exactly! Shift the power. Because it’s all about appropriating the narrative. We work in old, not optimally functioning systems that were built for us by others. We want to build our own system around ourselves.’ Where do these old systems go wrong? Continued on Page 48 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Continued from Page 47 ‘Young people have no platform to express themselves. Not only internationally but also in Kenya. If you open the newspaper here, it’s all about old men fighting for power, especially now that we’re in an electioneering year. The news is only about the elite, the rich minority. The vast majority have no voice in the Kenyan press and that lack of representation creates a lack of democracy. The media doesn’t tell the story of how the majority thinks about things, and that’s what we want to change. It’s all about diversity and inclusiveness.’ Where does the mainstream media fall short? ‘When you look at the news, the world seems terrible. When we started out last year in March, I consciously looked for positive contributions. These are stories that often do not make it into the mainstream media. I noticed that there is much more positivity than negativity – there are actually many more positive stories to be told than you would think. Yet you don’t get to see them, because a lot of people are not involved in making news, there are a lot of voices that are not heard. Although we also publish critical pieces, I want to tell stories about the hoi polloi. About people who make the world a better place; people who come up with solutions to challenges or problems. We want to challenge mainstream news media by telling different stories.’ You share the chief editorship with Marc Broere. How does that work?

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‘Marc is good at networking and fundraising, I study finance and am good at creating structure. We use our strengths to complement each other. We also have a different approach when it comes to the stories. It is similar to our earlier collaboration when we were working on articles: we both see different aspects that can make a story better.’ The long-standing Vice Versa focuses a good deal on development work, will the same be true of Global? ‘Personally, I’m not that much familiar with the NGO sector, but we have a team of different creators who scrutinize the work of development organizations. For example, we have a piece coming up by Nicera Wanjiru, a young woman from Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi. In this community, of which she is a member, many non-profit organizations are active. In her story, she takes a critical look at all their programs. She poses the question: is our community part of those NGO programs, or is it the other way around? Ultimately, we want to integrate Vice Versa Global with the regular Vice Versa, so that our young reporters can write for it as well.’ What is the role of NGOs when it comes to the image of Africa? ‘Although steps are being taken, NGOs are still stuck in old systems. Their programs often run for so long that they become a large, cumbersome system – a business model in

itself. Moreover, they use old ways of telling stories, a certain framework that only illuminates part of reality. They only get funds if they show how bad things are. African communities are often depicted in appalling conditions, with people unable to look after themselves. That is another reason why it is important to offer a counterbalance, by working with young journalists who are in the thick of these communities. They tell the real story. As a platform, we are accountable to the community and to the reader, not to NGOs.’ Who do you want to focus on with Vice Versa Global? ‘Young people. We bring stories that are made by young people and for young people. That is also a challenge so we have to keep reinventing ourselves. We are an online platform and we are active on social media where young people are active. We have to keep up with our target group. We also publish an annual print magazine that collects the best stories from our platform. We want to be where the young people are; for instance, we were recently at a youth conference in Ghana. We will be distributing the magazine in places like that where we will also connect with local young people who can make stories for us. So they are both our audience and creators.’ Africa through the eyes of the African youth Yet it could be that these young people already know what is

going on from their own experience. Shouldn’t you get the old guard on board? ‘We certainly hope that policymakers and politicians will read our stories. Precisely because our content is made by and for young people, and our platform gives a good picture of the issues they are concerned with. We want to inform the old guard: this is what young people like and what they don’t like. When you talk about politics, young people’s voices are not heard. Politics is not a reflection of the country and many politicians don’t care about young people’s opinions. That’s why we also organize debates so that we can be a point of reference for politicians and policymakers. We want to tell them how they can help young people in their country.’ Maybe your father would have let you study differently if he had listened to you better. Laughs: ‘Many older people don’t know at all what young people care about, because they are not heard. Vice Versa Global is here to change that. By showing them our side of the story, our parents will better understand what drives us. I hope they will listen to our stories.’ Courtesy of Vice Versa Global www.viceversaglobal.com

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Don’t leave teen mums behind! By Cynthia Omondi

one are the days when teen mums used to be shunned and looked at as social pariahs. With comprehensive sex education being turned from a right to a controversial issue by the society at large, some organizations decided to step up and bridge this gap. The narrative has changed and these girls are making something of themselves. It is evident that once a teenage girl gets pregnant, the probability of her dropping out of school goes up tremendously. Shuttered dreams and hopelessness awaits, an equation that results in poverty. Stories of early teenage pregnancies have hit the Kenyan headlines in the recent past with many wondering what can be done to curb the vice. But what about the thousands of girls that have already fallen victim? Their dreams shuttered as they face discrimination. They suddenly become socially and economically disadvantaged.

Kilifi County, in the Coastal part of Kenya, has an alarming rate of teenage pregnancy that is stubbornly high. While an estimated 18.4% of high school going girls (ages 15-19) across Kenya have begun child bearing, in Kilifi it’s at a high of 21.8%. Between January and May 2020, more than 3000 teenage girls got pregnant, 75 of them aged between 10 and 14 years old. This is according to adolescent pregnancy report at Kilifi County Hospital. A very sad tale! Education For life 25 km from Malindi lies Garashi, a rural settlement with a soaring rate of poverty. Its social exclusion has exposed the communities there to a range of social issues. With little or no adequate resources, women and girls always get the short end 50

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of the stick in these marginalized communities. “There has been a perception that once a girl gives birth or has a baby, then they need to look for a husband and get married. To some extent, they are viewed as worthless and a shame to both their parents and the society. They are associated with all sorts of negativity”, says Lucky Mwaka, project officer from Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani, Garashi chapter. Teenage pregnancies have been reinforced and perpetuated by poverty, sustained cultural and policy biases. When poverty and subjective cultural biases intersect, the girls are more often than not caught in the whirlwind. Some tribes within the communities here still believe that a girl should get married once she hits puberty. For some, marriage is their way out of poverty or a surety of a descent livelihood. “Poverty in this area is very extreme. There is an incidence that occurred sometime back of a girl who would frequently visit her male neighbor simply because she was assured of getting food. Hunger forced her to request the man, who was a bodaboda rider, to marry her. She was very young, a primary school pupil,” narrated Karisa, the driver who took us to Garashi. With a number of them not attending even the basic school at all, these attributes permeate many aspects of their lives. Majority of these girls are married off at a very tender age. It’s easy to identify a number of teen mums by just walking around. In order to bridge this gap, Education for life was implemented through a consortium of three organizations. It has made a tremendous and sustainable difference in that area and its environs. ActionAid, a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustices, together with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani (Swahili for Voice of the Women in the Coastal region), have come together to implement this project. It targets girls from the ages of 10 – 19 who are out of school and with low literacy and numeracy levels under the theme; leave no girl behind. “Leave no girl behind is a program that has been implemented in 12 countries across Asia and Africa, two in Asia and 10 in Africa, with Kenya being one of them. Here we are working in 5 counties, Kilifi, Garissa, Migori, Isiolo and Kisumu”, says Jonathan, the project coordinator from ActionAid.

Catch-Up Centres “We start by mapping our targeted group of girls through an approach known as community led participatory change plan. It is a participatory development approach. We engage the community by involving them in the mapping processes. We do vulnerability assessment and in the process we equally map where to station our Catch-Up centres”, explains Jonathan. “A Catch-Up centre is like an informal set up of a school. The girls come to get taught in order to acquire numeracy and literacy skills. At the centres, they have education facilitators who teach the girls for a period of 9 months through a designed curriculum that fits their need. After successful completion, the girls are allowed to choose pathways based on their interests. It’s what they would wish to venture in as they strive to become independent and self-sustainable.” The pathways include; going back to a formal school, joining a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution, entrepreneurship and apprenticeship. This is dictated at the stage where they receive career guidance. Career counselors are deployed to guide them based on their specific abilities and interests. This ensures that once they are done with the nine month program, they are able to transit to any of the four pathways. Through dry thickets and dusty roads, we get to another centre at Kalongoni. Here we get to meet vibrant and active young girls and mothers. With toddlers on their backs or laps and in a learning session, it is a clear indicator of how eager and committed they are to learn. We notice that there are tomatoes and packaged salt at a designated place within the classroom. We are informed that those belong to two of the girls who sell them around once they are done with their lessons. How brilliant is that, entrepreneurship in practice even before completion of their program. “I come to the

Catch-Up centre so that I can learn how to read and write. My desire is that when I leave this place I get a good job so that I can be able to provide the best care for my baby” says Salama, one of the girls at the centre. An Exceptional Project The teen mothers are allowed to come to the centres with their babies. Child minders have been employed to take care of them while their mothers are being taught. Additionally, packets of milk are provided to sooth the babies in order to ensure a comfortable and ample environment. This is something that Lucky Mwaka finds very unique. “Many projects normally target school going girls and those who are advancing, but this is a very unique one. It allows a girl to come to the centre to gain the

necessary skills and not have to worry about whom they’ll leave the baby with at home”, s he explained. Teenage pregnancy is a menace. Having such wonderful programs in place that focus on shaping the futures of the victims is something to be applauded. A project that is determined to ensure that young girls are now equipped with relevant skills for employment and entrepreneurship. Girls presumed to not have a meaningful future, are now full of confidence, belief and self-esteem. They can now live their lives differently from what previously looked impossible. It is our fundamental responsibility to create a space that allows such programs to run. We can do so by identifying and addressing the negative cultural norms and behaviors that ultimately hold back progress for all. Remember it is education for life; don’t leave any girl behind! www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

The peculiar group of old Wazee

he Nicera Kimani Imagine if trees gave off Wi-Fi signals. We would be planting so many trees and we’d probably save the planet too. Too bad they only produce the oxygen we breathe. As we celebrate the birth month of one of the greatest environmentalists of our time, Wangari Maathai, we are reminded by a group of senior citizens that it’s never too late to make a change and plant that tree. Text and pictures: Nicera Wanjiru Controlling the rise of greenhouse gases is becoming very difficult due to an evergrowing population. In most slums there is a scramble for the little resources that are available. Lack of social amenities also makes the air more toxic and the ability to reabsorb carbon dioxide is drastically reduced. Climate change has increased the vulnerability of slum dwellers and as such more trees and vegetation need to be planted to purify the air in such areas. With more trees there will be less flooding risks as has been witnessed in the past. Less flooding risks means no lives lost as a result of it. Another aspect is on better housing and providing livelihood to communities to trim down rural urban migration. Malasen Hamida, the founder of Mazingira (right), in the middle ‘uncle’James Wanjiru On this day, I am excited to join Malasen Hamida, the founder of Mazingira, a community based organization in Dandora. Matters environment hold a special place in her heart so she committed to planting 500,000 tree seedlings in the informal settlements and other parts of Nairobi. Today she is taking different types of trees and seedlings to a group of old men she is going to visit in Dandora. Our journey starts at 9 o’clock in the morning. Our ride is smooth on the main road though we do get lost a couple of times when we get to Dandora. We have to make several phone calls for we don’t know where exactly we are going. We decide to stop at a police barricade and seek help. We are approached by a very friendly police woman who after speaking to our driver, tells us to park aside till someone comes to pick us. The Open Office along Nairobi River It is not long before a young middle aged man shows up and

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directs us to a safer parking spot inside a police station. We are joined by two old men who assist us in carrying the trees. After a short walk we get to a very beautiful piece of land located near Nairobi River. It is filled with trees and lots of green vegetation. Here we meet 7 more elderly men tirelessly working. Some are digging holes while others are looking for manure. That is when it dawned on me that contrary to my earlier assumption, these old men working here are the ones we were set to meet. The general assumption is that young men and women are more vibrant and energetic, more so when it comes to issues of climate change. As a result of this presumption, more funds are directed towards that age group, neglecting the rest who are also in dire need of it. Well, this particular group of old men have decided to change the narrative. They are proving beyond a reasonable doubt that they can also be environmental champions. While their peers prefer to while their time away in local brewing dens, or even enjoying some quality time with their grandkids, these old men move different. You’ll find them busy clearing bushes, digging holes to plant trees in and looking for manure. “Welcome to our office. This is where we meet every weekend,” the spokesperson tells us. The old men have three benches with the sides covered with sacks. The sacks are worn out with only small patches remaining. This is what they call their office. While seated you forget about the office and start admiring the beautiful scenery. Apart from the trees, I come to realize that they had planted lots of vegetables. I looked around and a beautiful gabion catches my eyes prompting me to move closer. I had to keep on reminding myself that all

these were being done by old men. Canaan River Side Green “Canaan River Side is a group of old men. When it was started some years back, the group consisted of young people as well but as time went by they quit. Now only one middle aged man remains. The reason behind their departure was that they needed quick money. Some were simply impatient, while others kept wondering why they were working with older men. Now the group has 40 members. They meet every Sunday and make sure they raise money to buy 5 trees which they would plant the following day. Each member contributes 100 Kenya shillings and a mandatory 50 shillings if you come late for the meeting. There are also other fines, like for absenteeism, with the money going towards the purchase of trees,” explained Patrick, the spoke person for the group. In the middle spokesperson Patrick “As you can see we are old and when we are gone, at least it will be remembered we did something. Instead of us going to take beer or join the daily politicking, we saw it was important for us to do something different for the benefit of

our community and the environment. We believe this place will be very ideal for relaxing and even the children will be happy. We love trees and our environment. We are alive to the fact that when these trees eventually grow, the bad smell emanating from the river will be neutralized,” an elderly gentleman tells us with a wide smile. Gabion Construction Among the people with us is James Wanjiru a community leader fondly referred to as ‘Uncle’. “This group is unique,” he says. “When you promise them something, they keep asking for it, they follow up, they disturb you with phone calls after phone calls. One would think they are following up on some cash but it’s actually trees”. He goes on to tell us that they are not only planting trees, but they are also working on other environmental issues as well. “They have constructed gabions along Nairobi River to separate it from their trees. As old as they are every Friday or Saturday they go into the river where they collect stones and clean the river” “Collecting stones is tiresome so we wait till the next day to arrange them,” Patrick interjects. “The big and heavy stones are pulled from the river using boda bodas which we have to hire”. Uncle tells us that this has not only beautified the area but they have

Mercy Katana resting after crushing stones under the hot sun

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Continued on Page 53 also managed to divert the river not to get into houses near its bank when it rains. “When we were starting out, one day it rained so heavily that all our trees were swept away. We almost lost hope but we decided to come together again and use whatever we had to protect the trees that would be planted,” another group member explained. In their course of duty, they face numerous challenges. For instance, the river bed is filled with lots of broken glasses and they need proper wear like gumboots to keep them safe. They also need wheelbarrows for carrying stones and water tanks to store water for watering their trees. The Young Man In The Midst Of the Old Shem Odada is the only young guy in the group. When they started out there were many young people but they left. “I thought it wise to remain here. Sitting and listening to the old gives me wisdom. There are a lot of things that I don’t know which they teach me, including family issues. Likewise, there are things they can’t do which I help them with,” he tells us. “I regret the one year I wasted with the young people. Every person had their own idea with none willing to listen to the other. It was therefore

very difficult to know which idea to implement.” Shem Odada is the only young man in the group Shem’s knowledge about trees is incredible. For instance, he tells me that a tree takes one to two months for it to be stable. The tree’s height is the same as its roots due to symmetrical balance. He understands clearly the effects of rapid urbanization and global warming. Though his team members have persistently insisted on using the water from Nairobi river, he has refused to allow them to do so. This is because that water is filled with

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lead which is only favorable to eucalyptus trees. Lead toxicity causes inhibition of adenosine triphosphate production, liquid peroxidation and DNA damage by over production of reactive oxygen species. It strongly inhibits seed germination, root elongation, seedling development, plant growth transpiration, chlorophyll production, water and protein content. Due to all these factors the only time he allows them to use it is when it rains and the water is brown in color not black. Facing Opposition With the commendable work that they do you’d think that the whole community would be fully behind them offering their unwavering support. Turns out not everyone is impressed. “We are facing a lot of opposition from some community members” says Shem, as he points at an old woman who is staring at us. “Together with others they are frustrating our efforts. They release their goats to feed on our trees. As you can see the trees on the right side all have nets and are somehow stagnant for not getting enough sunlight. On the left they are big and stable enough. These people are well connected politically and don’t want us to plant trees. In fact some have even built houses on the spaces that we’ve cleared!” he sighs. “These old people are fragile and cannot get confrontational. They choose to let it go. All we ask for is help from the local administration. As a young person in this group I feel terrible when I see some few members of the community unwilling to embrace change. The effects of climate change are real and these trees are for their own benefit. We must take action against climate change.” At this point I can’t stop thinking why this community is turning against these men. Where are the environmental activist? Why it is that organizations are looking down upon this old men? Even they deserve funding not just youth and women. They have demonstrated that they are worth it through their actions. By Nicera Kimani Courtesy of Vice Versa Global www.viceversaglobal.com

UNP.NL ELECTS NEW EXECUTIVE FOR NEXT TWO YEARS

he much-anticipated election to pick new leadership to the run the Nigerian Umbrella organization, United Nigeria Platform took place at the end of last month, (April 2022) in the beautiful city of Rotterdam. The election was conducted under strict supervision of the representative of the Nigerian Embassy in Den Haag, Mr. Maxwell Onu Okeke, a Counselor at the Embassy. His other colleagues witnessed the contest and after the necessary conditions were met, the elections went ahead. According to observers, the election was free and fair and the following persons emerged as new leaders to run the affairs of the organization for the next two years. Names and positions of the new Executive Leaders Mr. Donald Okeke, (Ohaneze Ndi igbo NL) as Chairman; Mr. Efosa Oni – Edigin; (Edo community Rotterdam) as Vice chairman; Mr. Adeleke Babatunde Felix; (United Ijaws of Netherlands) as Secretary General; Madam Fester O.Imoh,(Nigeria women of integrity) as Public Relations Officer (P R O); Mr Inam Emmanuel Cyril ( Akcross union) as Treasurer; Mr. Modestus lfeanyichukwu Igwe, (Igbo Cultural Association of Nigeria Netherlands - ICAN. NL) as Project Coordinator and Mr. Idris Olayinka Bello, (Nadwat Netherlands as Financial Secretary. These officers would serve a two years term in office and their duties and responsibilities towards Nigerians resume immediately. According to the report, these elected officers would soon be presented to the Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Her Excellency, Dr. Eniola Ajayi. According to the newly elected chairman, Mr. Donal Okeke, he said his desire and that of his new team is to build a

strong and sustainable relationship with Nigerians in the Netherlands and therefore called on all Nigerians to join the organization and partner with them to ensure that all Nigerians are fairly and equally treated with respect, humility and dignity in the Netherlands. He asked that all Nigerians should participate to rebuilding and rebranding our country. He plans to discuss as a starting point celebrating Nigeria’s Independence Day and to look forward to organizing Nigeria Day in 2023 so that there is enough time to prepare and mobilize. When that of 2023 is done, we would ensure it remains an annual

event for Nigerians in the Netherlands. Congratulations to all newly elected officers of UNP and praying for their success in the coming years. TV

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FRENCH ELECTION

Victorious Macron vows to unite France after fending off Le Pen threat

resident acknowledges divisions after historic 13 million votes for Le Pen’s anti-immigration party. The pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron has vowed to unite a divided France after winning a second term as French president in a decisive victory against the far-right’s Marine Le Pen, who nonetheless won more than 13 million votes in a historic high for her anti-immigration party. Macron became the first French leader to win re-election for 20 years, scoring 58.54% to Le Pen’s 41.46%. Addressing a victory rally at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where his supporters waved French and European flags, Macron vowed to respond “efficiently” to the “anger and disagreement” of voters who chose the far right. “I know that a number of French people have voted for me, not to support my ideas but to stop the ideas of the far right,” he said and called on supporters to be “kind and respectful” to others, because the country was riven by “so much doubt, so much division”. He added: “I’m not the candidate of one camp any more, but the president of all of us.” Macron beat Le Pen with a lower margin than the 66% he won against her in 2017. Turnout was also lower than five years ago, with abstention estimated at a record 28%. Le Pen succeeded in delivering the far right its biggest-ever score in a French presidential election, after campaigning on the cost of living crisis, and promising a ban on the Muslim headscarf in public places as well as nationalist measures to give priority to native-French people over others for jobs, housing, benefits and healthcare – policies Macron had criticised as “racist” and “divisive”. Le Pen called her score “a shining victory in itself”, adding: “The ideas we represent are reaching new heights.” Macron’s victory was swiftly welcomed by EU leaders after a campaign the French president had described in its final days as a “battle for Europe” against the Eurosceptic Le Pen. The European Council president Charles Michel tweeted: “Bravo Emmanuel. In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union.” The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “I am delighted to be able to continue our excellent cooperation.” The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said French voters had delivered “a strong message in favour of Europe”. Macron’s first foreign trip as president is expected to be to Berlin to see Scholz. Several hundred demonstrators from ultra-left groups took to the streets in some French cities to protest against Macron’s

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re-election and Le Pen’s score. Police used tear gas to disperse gatherings in Paris, Lyon and the western city of Rennes. There was a large police presence in central Paris hours after the election win, after police opened fire on a car, killing two people inside, according to local reports. The vehicle was reportedly driving against the flow of traffic on the Pont Neuf when it sped towards the officers. An investigation has been launched into “attempted voluntary manslaughter on persons in charge of public authority”, Agence France-Presse reported. It is not known if the incident was linked to the election result. ‘President of the rich’ During a frantic final two weeks’ campaigning, Macron had travelled to town squares across France to shake off what he felt was the unjustly persistent tag of a being an aloof “president of the rich”. He had promised to dedicate the next five years to restoring France to full employment, arguing that his policies such as loosening French labour laws had already succeeded in creating jobs and that he would definitively put an end to the country’s decades of mass unemployment.

Advertisement But although Macron has promised his own swift new package of laws to address the cost of living crisis and tempered his time frame for raising the retirement age, he ultimately focused far less on his own manifesto in the final days and more on stopping what he called the “unthinkable”: the far-right, antiimmigration Le Pen taking the helm in France, the eurozone’s second biggest economy and a nuclear power. Macron will use his win to bolster his push for an increased EU defence project, closer collaboration on immigration and more regulation to counter the weight of giant tech platforms such as Google. France holds the rotating European Council presidency until the end of June. Macron had framed the choice between himself and Le Pen as “a referendum on Europe, ecology and secularism” and said the far-right leader’s demands for EU treaty change would have led to France being pushed out of the bloc. He called her a “climate sceptic” and said her plan to ban the Muslim headscarf from all public places, including the street, would breach the French constitution and religious liberties, and spark “a civil war”. Macron accused Le Pen of being financially “dependent” on Vladimir Putin’s Russia after she took out a Russian loan for her party in 2014, and said her ties to the Kremlin meant she would have been a dangerous choice at the time of war in Ukraine. Le Pen, in turn, had said that “fear was the only argument he had left”. But Macron knew that, after campaigning to stop Le Pen, his support at the ballot box would reflect as much the rejection of the far right as support for his own programme. “If the French put their trust in me on April 24, I know full well … that there will be a part of the people who voted for me who would have done it to block the Front National,” he had told the TV programme Quotidien, deliberately using the former name for Le Pen’s party, now renamed the National Rally. “And so it won’t mean they have given me a blank cheque and that they support and find brilliant every point of my programme.” A significant number of the 7.7 million first-round voters for the radical left’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who narrowly missed reaching the final, had said they felt torn over abstaining or voting to keep out Le Pen. Macron had leaned to the left in the final days to try to court Mélenchon voters, promising to speed up measures against

climate breakdown and expand environmental policy. His first task is to appoint a new prime minister, who he promised would be specifically devoted to addressing the climate crisis. The focus will now shift to the parliamentary elections in June, where Macron will seek to get a majority for his centrist grouping, possibly expanding alliances with the right. He had promised a “big new political movement” and could go as far as rebranding his party, La République En Marche. Both Le Pen and Mélenchon are seeking to increase how many lawmakers their parties have. For his first step, Macron has promised to introduce a package of measures to ease the pressure of the cost of living crisis before summer, including continuing caps on gas and energy prices. … as you’re joining us today from the Netherlands, we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million supporters, from 180 countries, now power us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent. Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful. And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.

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The story of Twerwaneho Listeners’ Club in Uganda Making a difference for the ordinary people.... By Emmanuel Mandebo

ed up of seeing more and more human rights violations in the Ugandan city of Fort Portal, local human rights activists formed an organization, spoke out against the regime’s actions in radio programs, and defended the oppressed in court – without ever losing a case. Gerald Kankya, team leader of the Twerwaneho Listeners’ Club, tells their story so far. Fort Portal City is located in Western Uganda, approximately 296 kilometers by road from Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. It was nicknamed the ‘Tourism City of Uganda’ due to its strategic location in the heart of major tourist sites including the snowcapped mountains of the moon, commonly known as the Rwenzori Mountains, boosts of over 20 crater lakes, and the Kibaale natural forest which is home to over 400 species of birds, other animals, and flora. The existence of these tourism sites led to tremendous

that gained prominence. In 2006, a group of local human rights activists started a radio talk show ‘Twerwaneho’, loosely translated as ‘Let’s struggle for ourselves from the Rutooro dialect, a language spoken by the indigenous people of the sub-region. The talk show was broadcast on local radios; Voice of Tooro and Life FM and it was aimed at awakening people to debate on issues of governance and rights. This talk show would turn over time out to be a safe haven for the different communities battling unlawful evictions and other human rights-related issues. Today, we feature Mr. Gerald Kankya, the team leader at Twerwaneho Listeners Club. He has been at the organization right from its inception and up to where it is at the moment.

Twerwaneho Listerners Club in Uganda developments socially and economically. However, some of these developments proved detrimental to the local communities as was manifested in the unlawful evictions 60

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What is Twerwaneho Listeners Club? “We are a human rights organization that started as a small group of activists who would go on radio and talk about

human rights issues, accountability, and the right to land. Our work mainly focused on land rights because at the time that was a major challenge and the Tooro Kingdom was the major perpetrator of the right to land. So, the radio talk show mainly targeted the Tooro Kingdom as the main perpetrator and we were running a sensitization program that was intended to protect and empower communities to fight against unlawful land grabbing”. “Along the way, the management of the radio station started receiving a lot of pressure from the Kingdom and other authorities to suspend the radio programs. This did not deter the proprietor from hosting the programs. As a result, the radio was attacked and the radio transmitter was burnt down by armed military men”.This was some form of punishment against hosting or broadcasting programs that were not regarded positively in light of the kingdom authorities and other government officials”. “A few months later the radio station went back on air and we castigated the act of burning the radio station which resulted in the arrests of the panelists. The arrest Mr. Gerald Kankya, the team leader at Twerwaneho meant that even people who were meant to speak for Listerners Club the voiceless were targeted and this was the only front the communities were using to defend themselves we have represented communities.” against unlawful evictions”. What are some of your most recent interventions? “The programs had also gained a lot of listenership. “We currently have about 5 cases that include the Following the arrest and a rigorous court process that take away of the salt lake by the Chinese Consortium, lasted for about 18 months where the panelists were communities affected by the Fort Portal-Kasese Highway, charged with inciting violence, threatening violence, and communities evicted by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, defamation, the listeners resolved to form a club that would and another pending case at the Court of Appeal of Uganda unite the listeners and the panelists. This was the birth of where about 20 crater lakes were leased to a private Twerwaneho Listeners Club.” company. At the same time, we are monitoring 5 foreignSo, what is the nature of your interventions? financed investment projects by the World Bank and the “When we started, we looked at general human rights African Development Bank. Because our work involves issues because it was less like an activists’ group that was communities, this implies that we must walk side by side not that professional but along the way, we integrated with the communities to find local solutions. We do this by into the radio program and the aspect of the provision of partnering with communities, a facilitation role, or aiding legal support because within our team we had members support.” with different specialties; we had lawyers, journalists, “Communities have resources that must automatically be and social scientists, to mention but a few. So, we kept on used through this process. In all the communities we work evolving until recently when we decided to focus mainly in, the members provide willingly particular resources on supporting human rights activists, communities that are like real cash, labor, coordinating communities, serving harmed by investment projects, and communities facing documents, collecting signatures, to mention but a few. unlawful evictions”. We would really spend a lot of money if we did some “Currently, we also monitor foreign development finance of these activities ourselves.Communities have actually projects by the World Bank, African Development, and started realizing that our organization is not there to solve other investment projects, both public and private. We problems but to partner with them and find solutions to also provide probono legal services for walk-in clients, their problems; the communities already know what they carry out strategic litigation for the benefit of wider want to achieve and we only facilitate them through the communities. Luckily, we have never lost a case in which process.” Continued on Page 62

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What is your strategy as an organisation? “Ideally, if you’re working in communities involving over 100,000 people; you must agree on the approach, have clear objectives, declare and know the resources needed, and all the parties involved must know their roles. That way, you eliminate the risk of misunderstanding and suspicion. By doing this you are trying to localize the intervention to be a community initiative and in a way that is sustainable because through that process, communities gain some capacities that are used to address possible similar challenges in the future.” “They acquire basic understanding, knowledge, networks, and connections to seek support in the future. This approach has enabled us to achieve most of our targets. Looking at the aspect of resources, we have a small budget as an organization but we have huge projects we are working on with the communities and hence the resources within the communities greatly supplement our limited budget.” Why did you adopt the community-led approach? “One of the observations I have made is that any person given an opportunity can understand their situation and identify a solution. If you come up with a solution simply because you’re an expert and take the same to a community, it’s an external solution. You will not have the support and commitment of the people.” Twerwaneho Listeners Club “You can test the commitment of a community basing how much they are involved in your project. For example, in all the projects we engage in, the communities finance a particular portion of the budget.Our donors have actually noticed that the output and impact of our work is quite huge in comparison to the resources available to us. We are able to

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achieve this by directly involving the communities because they see the value in the money that they provide so they continue rendering support.” How do you build broad support for human rights at the community level? “Our engagements are more like collective hunting; you go hunting, find an animal, slaughter, and skin it together. Everyone is at least learning something through the process. It’s some kind of empowerment. For example, we worked together with a community that had been evicted from around the 20 crater lakes. Communities walked with us throughout the journey and today the most civically active and legally empowered communities are those around these crater lakes. These crater lakes are attractive to the hospitality business as well as being rich in minerals. Communities are now getting into community agreements with the investors with regards to how they are going to continue using these lake and the resources.” “These community agreements spell out how the investors are to share access to the crater. We are not involved at any point, we only review. This is a trend that reflects an empowered community as a result of a court process that was undertaken and the communities learned a lot from it. We also do community sensitizations through a radio station. It’s through those sensitizations that we are able to amplify the voices of these communities and also solicit support for the affected communities.” What message does the recent attack on human rights activists by government agencies send to laypersons at the community level? “We had an old man with whom we worked on the crater lakes project. He was targeted due to his activism and shot at by military men and consequently had his leg amputated as a result of the gunshot wound. One of the signs that your message is being heard and that you’re very effective is sometimes the negative response you attract. Popular Ugandan novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was targeted because he said something very sensitive. He was consequently arrested and tortured before he fled into exile. However scary this is, our empowered community members cannot afford to be silenced by such cowardly acts. Actually, when you see such cowardly acts being committed, it shows that it’s the right moment to push

harder.” “My understanding with the communities that we work with is that, whereas we understand that there are risks that can even lead to death, we must be able to have strategies to make sure that we increase the pressure and identify the key pressure points that will bring about the desired change. Otherwise, if you succumb to intimidation then you’re done. At Twerwaneho Listeners Club we started with several arrests and harassment but we remained resilient. So, it’s better to use the available knowledge and ideas to be clever but also brave enough to address community challenges.” What’s the nature of your relationship with foreign donors? “Donors are not the same. Many come with specific objectives and want you to support their implementation. However, two of our major donors are quite understanding that they let us set our goals and objectives. This has enabled us to build our capacities and also strengthen our systems and ways of engaging with our target communities. Our interventions are not like paper drafted and done, there are many processes involved that call for flexibility and understanding if you want to provide genuine interventions. For the Global North to have effective interventions in the

Global South, they must think about the power dynamics, not from the money point of view but looking at who they want to benefit from and how the person is going to receive the said project.” “The local communities know the solutions to their challenges better and hence should be involved at all times while designing projects meant for their benefit.” Any other major challenges in your community engagements? “We have an overwhelming number of community requests for support. We would like to attend to them all but we are constrained by the limited resources much as some of the communities finance parts of our budget. Also, other aspects like human resources have to be found elsewhere and hence affecting our level of intervention.” “From the community’s point of view, we have had so many instances of reprisals and retaliation. We have tried to grapple with this and offer further support to the communities but risks can never be eliminated completely. We strive to empower and prepare them to understand these risks.” Courtesy of Vice Versa Global www.viceversaglobal.com

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My Final Breakthrough (Part 3) Witten by Nsima Nyo

he struggle that most Africans in the Middle East go through in trying to get employment is not talked about enough. Most of them have the skills needed, but the opportunities to prove themselves are few and far in between. In the final part of our Africans Living Abroad series, Tari* recounts the final three weeks in Dubai before her visa was set to expire and the intrigues that ensued. You may be asking yourself why I didn’t just go back to my home country and try to rebuild myself there. I understand such sentiments but personally, that was not an option. Back in school, my friends nicknamed me ‘the insister’ because I never gave up on anything that I had set my mind on. At that moment, succeeding in this foreign country was my only priority and I wasn’t prepared to fail. First Meeting with the Manager The last three weeks of my final month before my visa expired were quite eventful. A friend of mine told me about a certain hospitality company which was recruiting and that I was sure to get employed if I went there. The following day I was there very early, smartly dressed and ready to meet the manager. At the establishment, the receptionist received my credentials and told me to wait as she went to confirm with the manager if there were any vacancies available. A minute later she came back with the words I dreaded the most yet had become accustomed to hearing. ‘Sorry, there are no vacancies. In fact, I will return your CV since it will just go to waste here,’ she told me. I wasn’t entirely convinced. My thoughts were either she’s too lazy to look for him, she hadn’t convinced him enough or she was just being mean. My pleas to meet the manager fell on deaf ears as she told me to leave since the manager was busy in a meeting. To buy myself some time until the meeting ends and I get to meet the manager, I asked her to let me in so that I could at least order something to eat. I had now turned into a client from a job seeker. The receptionist walked me to a table and handed me the menu with disdain. Her expression was that of ‘Let’s see if you can afford anything here.’ I confidently asked her to give me a moment as I figured out what I would be having. Honestly, there was nothing I could afford on that menu, it was way too expensive for me. As I looked around the restaurant at the other guests, I noticed that there wasn’t a single black person there, they were all white rich people, mostly golf players. I was the odd one out. 64

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A waitress walked up to me and asked what I would be ordering. I decided to tell her the honest truth and asked if there were any vacancies. She informed me that she had just been hired the previous day and went ahead to give me her number. She would now be able to update me in case any vacancy came up. She went a step further and introduced me to her supervisor who could receive my CV and even take me to the manager. These two were so kind to me. The supervisor went to the manager and came back with the same news; there were no vacancies. I finally decided to walk away. As I was heading out, the waitress pointed out the manager to me who had just stepped out of the meeting to receive a phone call, urging me to talk to him. Immediately he was done with his call, I greeted him and started telling him about myself. He didn’t even give me a chance to make my case, going ahead to berate me instead. ‘You have already been told twice that there are no vacancies here. Why can’t you just leave? Are you deaf?’ His anger scared me so much and left me speechless. I hastily left. The Interview I went back home, crying the whole way, and prayed to God since I felt lost and it felt like He had also left me alone. That’s the day I felt sorry for myself. I had never felt the pain of job-seeking before coming to Dubai. The manager hadn’t even given me a chance to prove what I was capable of. He had no idea that I had sat in a train for two hours full of hope. That was the moment I nearly lost all hope. I just covered my head because at that moment I was angry at God. The next couple of days, I was so stressed that I didn’t eat anything. Fully aware of my situation, I never stopped sending online applications which sadly enough were never replied to. As much as I was applying to all these places, my heart was set on getting a job at that British restaurant. I had fallen in love with it. After a while, the waitress told me that she had seen new staff and I should go back and try my luck once more. I went there on a Friday since she had informed me that was when most heads of departments are available. On getting there I found a number of applicants waiting to get interviewed and fortunately for me, the tough manager was on vacation. I had come with a Barista and waitress CV,

“

“ I went back home, crying the whole way, and prayed to God since I felt lost and it felt like He had also left me alone. ”

willing to take either of the positions. I did the interview and managed to impress the interviewer who singled me out afterwards, telling me to stay for trials while the rest were told that they would be called. I got a five-minute orientation about table numbers and did my best with customer service. The head bartender also asked me to make a cappuccino so he could see my abilities as

happy and confident that this time around I would be called back for the job. The following day, my eyes were firmly on my phone as I waited for the call. There was nothing. Negative thoughts started swirling in my head; ‘What if they had forgotten about me? What if they never get to call?’ A friend mentioned the possibility of better candidates going there

a Barista, which I did. They also gave me theory exams about coffee and hospitality which all went well. They loved me and we exchanged numbers. I went back home

after me. My anxiety couldn’t allow me to wait for another day so the next day I was one of the first people there and went ahead and allocated work for myself. Before the

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deputy manager reported to work, I had blended with the other employees and got so active in service. Persistence Pays Off The first question she asked me was ‘What are you doing here?’ I did not hesitate to tell her that I was there to talk to her. She gave me a minute to sell my abilities which I used well. I asked her to let me work for them for a week free of charge as they evaluate my capabilities. It would be upon them to decide whether I’m competent enough to be part of their company or not. At first, she was a little hesitant but she eventually accepted, insisting that this didn’t mean that there was a vacancy. She took me inside the bar and asked the bartenders to let me do all the coffee orders, giving me all the necessary training I would need.\ Persistence pays off Fully confident in my abilities, I knew the company wouldn’t wish to lose me by the end of the week. That’s how I started my bartending career. The general manager reported back to work from his vacation a week later when his assistant, head bartender and supervisors were already convinced that they needed me in the company. He observed me and was also convinced since I had mastered 66

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many things and had already blended in. I just signed my contract with the company two days ago and it feels like a dream. I’m sure the general manager doesn’t remember that I’m the lady he once kicked out of the company premises. I will be sure to remind him at a staff party when I get honored as the employee of the year. He’s actually a good person, I think that maybe he was just having a long day. Sometimes the time you feel defeated and need to give up hope is the time you need a little bit more persistence and prayer, to God, whom I believe touched everyone’s heart to see my potential. Courtesy of Vice Versa Global www.viceversaglobal.com

Congratulations to Rev. & Mrs. Ademola Afolabi. You have both been good examples to thousands of people around the world Greetings behalf of The Voice magazine publication

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House of Refuge Ministries (HORM) Nation holds conference for youths

ast month, the HORM NATION, a church ministry in the heart of Deventer through his Youth Department organized a one day conference with the theme:” Beautiful and Flawless in their series of Complete in HIM conference to educate, encourage young people on how best practices of preserving themselves as singles before and after marriage. The program was put together under the leadership of the Lead Pastor, Pastor Favour and ably supported by the Resident Pastor, Pastor Nella and the youths in the church. They invited guest participants including best selling author and publisher of The Voice magazine, Pastor Elvis Iruh and Pastors Eddy & Betty Zimmerman. The conference took place at the church auditorium at Tartustraat 4, 7418 GX, Deventer. It was really a fun evening as the youths listen to wise nuggets on relationship and how best to handle

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relational matters. They were fashion parade, spoken word, music and question and answer discussions and interactions. The youths were blessed and after the event, many of them bought copy of the book by Pastor Elvis Iruh titled, “Getting to know you”. He took questions from the youths and the evening session ended with prayers and refreshment. According to the Lead Pastor, the idea behind the conference

is to empower the youths before making such a life changing decision on marriage. “From experience, many do not have proper guidance before marriage thinking they can do it in marriage but then it is too late” This is the fourth volume in the series and very soon, they would be organizing another session. If you are in the Netherlands, I do advice to attend one of these sessions, weather marriage or yet to be married, it would benefit you. Enjoy some pictures captured for The Voice magazine by the church camera crew. TV