As part of measures to advance nutrition in Nigeria through Civil Society actions, the Ebonyi state chapter of the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has been formally inaugurated. The chapter was established during a capacity building workshop for Civil Society and Community Based organizations on Grant Writing and Nutrition Programming in Ebonyi state in June 2023. This brings the total number of CS-SUNN State chapters to 25, of the 36 states and the FCT.
Prior to the chapter’s inauguration, CS-SUNN had conducted a mapping exercise in Ebonyi state to map organizations working in the nutrition and health related space. Nine Pioneer member organizations (DIG Foundation, Faith Community, Health for the Society Justice and Peace, Apikpo Nurses Association, SMLAS, CIRDDOC and CHAD) formed the latest addition to CS-SUNN State chapters. At the inauguration ceremony, a leadership structure was established with Anele Okoroagha of DIG Foundation as State Coordinator and modalities for operations of the chapter set out.
CS-SUNN in collaboration with USAID Advancing Nutrition also built the capacity of 10 CSOs on the fundamentals of Proposal/Grant Writing, Nutrition Interventions and Advocacy Strategies. Two representatives of each CSO drawn from Bauchi, Sokoto, Kebbi, Ebonyi and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) benefited from the training.
The meeting sought to:
1. provide organizations with strategies for securing funding and resources for nutrition programs.
2. provide organizations with strategies for developing effective nutrition interventions and programs.
3. elicit best practices for involving communities in nutrition programming, including community mobilization and capacity building.
4. provide organizations with strategies for integrating nutrition consideration into agriculture and food systems programming.
The beneficiaries garnered knowledge on Grant/Proposal Writing and Resource Mobilization, delving into themes like types of grant opportunities, key components of grant proposal and best practices in grant writing. ‘’I look forward to collaborate with your organization for expanded reach to vulnerable children to improve nutrition and food security especially among the most vulnerable-under 5 years children and pregnant women”- said Dr. Oluwaseyi Adeyemi from CCRN. The sessions anchored by Dr. Anthony Oku-Isu; a Lecturer with the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State and Ankaoma Onyemelukwe, a Consultant with USAID Advancing Nutrition further expounded on the basics of a Monitoring and Evaluation frame work for grant proposal including sustainability and risk management plans.
The meeting achieved the following key outcomes:
-The establishment of the CS-SUNN, Ebonyi state chapter.
-Strengthened capacity of CSOs to write grant winning proposals.
-Strengthened capacity of CSOs to implement nutrition intervention programming.
In the coming months, the National body of CS-SUNN will support the Ebonyi state chapter to complete the chapter’s registration and also step down the Resource Mobilization/Grant writing training to member CSOs.
