Women at Risk International Foundation
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Mission Statement
WARIF aims to raise global awareness and advocate against the growing prevalence of gender based violence, sexual abuse, rape and human trafficking amongst women and girls of all ages in Nigeria.
About This Cause
Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) is a pan African non-profit organisation founded and incorporated in 2016 by Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru MD; MPH, in Nigeria, in response to the high incidence of rape, sexual violence and human trafficking of young girls and women in communities across Nigeria. Our vision is to build a society free of rape and sexual violence. The organisation achieves its overarching objective of awareness and addressing the prevalence of this problem through a unique holistic “WARIF Approach” which targets 3 specific pillars – Health, Education and Community Service . The Health Pillar: Post -Incident Treatment at the WARIF Rape Crisis Centre: a sexual assault referral centre where survivors of rape and sexual violence are offered immediate medical care, forensic medical examinations, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy tests and post exposure HIV drugs are administered. Psychosocial counselling, legal aid and access to shelters and vocational skills training are also made available to survivors. All services are offered free of charge. Educational Pillar: The successful implementation of programs such as the Prevention of Campus Sexual Violence Tertiary Institutions Program, in partnership with the EU/UN Spotlight Initiative, launched in January 2020 with UN Women are carried out under this pillar. Almost 2000 undergraduate students from over 100 universities in Nigeria have been engaged with a virtual online classroom session on the prevention and issues of gender based violence in their tertiary institutions. Other programs targeting the adolescent elementary and high school girl and boy with the WARIF Educational School Project (WESP) and the Boys Conversation Cafe (BCC) are also specifically designed to educate young adolescent girls on the prevention of sexual violence, its effects, how to report and refer cases to the WARIF Centre, while young boys are mentored on changing their prevailing mindsets on rape and are encouraged to become protectors rather than perpetrators. The Community Service Pillar: Community projects are designed for both the urban city and the grass-root rural settings such as the WARIF Gate Keepers Project with the training of community leaders such as training of over 1000 traditional birth attendants on becoming first respondents in treating and reporting the cases of rape in their communities as well as the training of other community leaders and religious and traditional rulers on the awareness of gender based violence, the proper procedures for mediation, reporting and referring cases of sexual violence. With law enforcement, in partnership with the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office (INL), US Embassy; A Police Sensitisation and Case Management Program has been implemented in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with police officers and law enforcement trained on the sensitisation and proper referral protocols for rape cases. This initiative has since been expanded to include Lagos State with almost 900 law enforcement agents already sensitised. THE Women Empowerment Program (WEP) The WARIF Women’s Empowerment Program was launched to empower women and girls with the necessary toolkit to lead successful independent lives, unencumbered by financial dependency and other socio-economic constraints. Vulnerable women and girls are equipped with skills needed to achieve this goal. The program consists of 3 pillars: • Advocacy and prevention of Gender-Based Violence • Vocational Skills Acquisition Program • Basic Financial Literacy Skills This initiative was first piloted in 2018 with a 2 days training program where community based girls and women were equipped with knowledge and tools that led to economic stability through income generating skills. WARIF COVID-10 RESPONSE MEASURES: WARIF COVID-19 Response in Rural Communities Program In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WARIF recently launched the WARIF COVID-19 Response in Rural Communities Initiative. The program is designed for rural communities and is aimed at sensitising households in these grassroots areas on safety protocols to adopt in addressing the shadow pandemic of an increase in the prevalence of domestic and sexual gender-based violence as a result of the outbreak and lockdown directive. The services available during this period is also highlighted and suspected cases are reported to the WARIF Rape Crisis Centre. This program is implemented through the services and support of trained Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) by WARIF from the Gatekeepers Project, a community based initiative, where 1000 TBAs have been successfully trained as first responders in addressing cases of gender-based violence across Lagos State. With the distribution of personal protective equipment such as face masks, hand sanitisers and gloves by the organisation, our frontline workers and the TBAS, are protected from exposure and reduce the risk of spread of the virus in their respective communities. Over 100,000 individuals from households have been reached. WARIF COVID-19 Volunteer Response Program As part of our activities to help survivors during the COVID-19 Pandemic, WARIF launched the WARIF COVID- 19 Volunteer Response Program. This initiative's aim is to address the high incidence of rape and sexual violence in more urban settings across Lagos State. Volunteers from different Local Government Areas (LGAs) were trained to sensitise communities, going from door to door and in public areas; to enlighten members of these communities on the issues of gender based violence that has now become a national crisis, on the available services offered by WARIF and on how cases of rape, sexual violence and child abuse can be reported. Over 10,000 individuals from households have been reached.