Introduction:
In reality the first step is always the hardest to take. Often people do not know what their first step is how to take the first step and they are not aware that such a step is necessary. People have great power and unlimited energy. People have the pulse and the impulse of change/freedom. Let us embrace and celebrate the stories of this energy, the narratives of change.
We all dream of a world that is just and fair. We wish to create a word that does not marginalize people based on their age, color, language, skills, culture and location – a world that celebrates and respect differences.
When making a dream into reality, we must take the first step for change, be it local, national or international.
Having these in mind, First Step idea was initiated by a group of young activists who took part in the CIVICUS Youth Assembly 2008 in Glasgow, Scotland, and developed the idea through their discussions during the assembly.

First Step Campaign has been initiated by a group of youth worldwide in order to:
• Inspire and activate those who have not participated yet in community affairs;
• Share the story of how youth take their first steps to make the world a better to live for all;
• Sustain those who are already involved in their community;
• Link communities, organizations and groups working on - specific issues and specific areas;
• Motivate youth to take part in Youth-Led development projects;
• Provide useful resources for youth to take actions;

Today Nigeria celebrate it greatest asset: Youth and Children as it mark National Children. As we may all know that in 1990 Nigeria joined it counter part to sign the African Charter which include among other things the protestation of the right of children and youth


In September 2000, Nigeria also joined other nations to signed the 8-Time bound declaration of universal commitment to development known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Where are we today? Among all the issues affecting the Nation today, children and youth are mostly affected such as poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS, Climate Change and equality.

As a committed YOUTH DEVELOPEMNT ACTORS, I sincerely encourage that we continue to advocate for the passing of the Child Right Bill which is currently in the House of Assembly.


Let us as,young people come to the realization that to meaningfully participate in planning, developing, and evaluating processes in all decisions pertaining to the welfare of young people is to:

• Be active and knowledgeable participants by informing ourselves about law sconcerning our well being
• Have our voices heard by having representations at appropriate levels of policy making
• Take responsibility for our actions and inactions
• Making improvements by taking result-oriented actions
• Involvement by contributing physically, socially and emotionally at all levels
• Devotion and rendering service
• Be better leaders by listening and sharing the knowledge we have gained


Our Demand
1. Governments to immediately domesticate the March 2007 UN Convention for People with Disabilities, especially Articles 16 and 25 of the convention

2. Transformational programmes for stronger recognition of the importance of SRR among the media, the judiciary, medical fraternity, educational and health authorities, religious and cultural institutions.

3. Donors and development partners to invest in policies and programmes that promote an integrated, comprehensive response to SRHR within and aligned with the Maputo Plan of Action and the MDG’S.

4.Policy makers, public sector, researchers, NGOs, private sector, communities and others to foster partnerships and strengthen collaboration to strengthen advocacy, Programme implementation, research, monitoring and evaluation and resource utilization.

So help us God!!

Everyday we consciously or ‘unconsciously’ volunteer. You would ask, why the word ‘unconsciously’? Nigeria is one great country still developing in terms of volunteerism with about 70% population, inspite of their involvement in one form of volunteering or the other, fail to neither recognize it nor understand the concept of volunteerism.

Nigeria is delimited with challenges such as Poverty, Poor access to quality education, unemployment and lack of basic health facilities. However, in our limitation lie our strengths and opportunities to tap into our vibrant human resources available at our disposal.

About 5.8% of the Nigerian labour force is currently unemployed which has translated into increased poverty in the lives of the people. The question now is; how can Nigeria strategically utilize her human resources to better her economy and improve the standard of living of her citizenry?

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) has demonstrated that volunteerism is a strategic tool for improving standard of living, strengthening educational delivery systems and effectively responding to HIV/AIDS scourge.

With 50 years experience in Nigeria delivering services through her international volunteers and partners for the development in our educational sector, health and the supporting of income generating activities in securing the livelihood of the people, shows that Nigeria can thrive in development challenges if we are committed to what we call our own and investing our skills for a positive change.

Arising to her responsibility through the active involvement of government, public, private and civil society sectors, Nigeria can adopt volunteering as one of the tools to tackling unemployment, poverty, health lapses and social vices. The culture of civic responsibility and patriotism needs to be imbibed for a successful application of this tool to effectively intervene in terms of service delivery and for economic growth.

Our human resources should not be allowed to wallow in ignorance and abject poverty in queue for when over-populated labour market will manifest with job opportunities. Individuals can be better productive if there is increase in sensitization on volunteerism as well as active involvement of the government.
Just like our tapped petroleum resources, let us arise today and explore our untapped human resources for volunteerism and for our development.

Homeless children are
Undernourished and
Needy. They are
Grateful and
Eager for
Relief
Hunger is black,
Like a deep hole in the middle of nowhere.
It falls through my stomach,
Like a shooting star falling from the sky.
It makes me feel empty,
Like a hollow tree with no warmth.
It makes me want to share my food with others.
Homeless people
Unhappy children
Need nutrition
Generosity needed
Eager to get fed
Raise money to help the needy Hunger is gray,
Like a rain cloud over my head
It sits in my heart,
Like a heavy load I have to carry.
It makes me feel scared,
Like when I’m away from my family.
It makes feel sorry for those who have no food.
Homeless families
Unhealthy diets
Needy people
Grateful for Soup Kitchens
Eager to eat
Ready to help Hunger is blue,
Like the depths of the ocean.
It tumbles through my mind,
Like a stone tumbling down a hill.
It makes me feel depressed,
Like a child whose parent
Can not feed him or her.
It makes me want to help somebody.
Hope
Unhappy people
Needy children
Grateful families
Eager to get fed
Relieved that others care. Hunger is brown,
Like a hollow log inside of me.
It flows through my body,
Like a raft on a river.
It makes me feel empty,
Like a shell that's been left behind.
It makes me want to help others.
Hope
Under fed
Needs help
Gratefully
Eager for food
Relief Hunger is black
Like the emptiness of the black holes in space
It pierces through my stomach,
Like a sharp dagger.
It makes me feel lonely,
Like when nobody is around.
It makes me want to cry.
Hunger is gray,
Like clouds in a thunderstorm.
It burns through my stomach,
Like a fire that won't go out.
It makes me feel lonely,
Like an owl sitting in a tree in the dark.
It makes me want to cry till my eyes hurt. Hunger is black,
Like endless space.
It runs through my stomach,
Like a fast moving train.
It makes me feel empty,
Like a deep well.
It makes me want to beg for food.
Hunger is gray,
Like a stormy cloud in the sky.
It sits in my stomach, like a hard brick that fell on my foot.
It makes me feel empty,
Like a hollow piece of chocolate.
It makes me want to scream and shout. Hunger is black,
Like a swirling tornado.
It cuts through my heart,
Like a flaming arrow.
It makes me feel terrified,
Like it might happen to me.
It makes me want to cry.

3 May 2008 – The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force today, one month after the required twentieth country ratified the landmark treaty which guarantees the rights of some 650 million people worldwide.

The Convention – which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called "a powerful tool to eradicate the obstacles faced by persons with disabilities" – was adopted by the General Assembly on 13 December 2006, and was opened for signature and ratification on 30 March 2007.

Since then it has been signed by 127 countries and ratified by 25. Jamaica was the first country to ratify the Convention, and on 3 April, Ecuador ratified, providing the sufficient number of parties for the Convention to enter into force.

The Convention does not create any new rights, but aims to ensure that the benefits of existing rights are fully extended and guaranteed.

"It had been argued that persons with disabilities were covered by existing human rights treaties, but the reality was very different," says Akiko Ito, the UN Focal Point on Disability. "Persons with disabilities have routinely suffered discrimination in the job market, in schools and in receiving public services. This Convention will make sure that these people will no longer be ignored."

The treaty asserts the rights of people with disabilities to education, health, work, adequate living conditions, freedom of movement, freedom from exploitation and equal recognition before the law for persons with disabilities.

It also addresses the need for persons with disabilities to have access to public transport, buildings and other facilities and recognizes their capacity to make decisions for themselves.

The convention's Optional Protocol, which will also be binding starting today, allows individuals to petition an international expert body with grievances.

By ratifying the Convention, States commit themselves to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights, and also abolish legislation, customs and practices that discriminate against persons with disabilities.

John Flanagan, Officer-in-Charge of the UN Mine Action Service, said the new treaty is particularly relevant for survivors of accidents with landmines and explosive remnants of war.

"Too often, landmine victims are excluded from their communities," he stated. "For example, child survivors of landmine incidents are often removed from school. Landmine victims are entitled to all the same human rights as every other member of their societies, and this new Convention will help level the playing field in terms of access to services and opportunities."

The Convention establishes a new body to monitor its implementation – the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as a Conference of States Parties, which is expected to be convened within six months.

The UN will mark the treaty's entry into force with a special ceremony in New York on 12 May with participants from governments, UN agencies and civil society.

UN News Service

I have always loved languages and wish I can speak as much languages as possible. Although English is our official language in Nigeria, we have 3 main ethnic languages which are Ibo, Yoruba and Hausa. Fortunately, I speak 2 out of the 3. The first, Ibo, which is my mother tongue and then Yoruba, which I was privileged to grow up with having been born and lived in the south-western part of the country most of my years.

I am currently learning to speak Hausa and have also have realized that I have more task ahead…which is, learning to speak French! While in secondary school, I dropped French out of my chosen subjects because my teacher at that time was very strict and for this reason, the French students were very few as many students wouldn’t choose French as a subject. I had regrets at the end of the day because I lost that opportunity!

I have just returned from the Republic of Benin and Togo where French is their official languages and have come to realize that it absolutely pays to be at least bi-lingual.
My stay in these countries in the course of my visit was very interesting! I didn’t speak their language, and only very few of them could speak mine (English). Luckily for me, my friend who I traveled with is got French skills so she did all the rescuing in times of translation and negotiation!

While in Togo, I met some Nigerians who traveled all the way to the University of Lome to study the language and some exchange students which I found really fascinating!
I am happily learning to speak French, and I encourage you out there to make it a point of duty to learn other languages besides your country’s official Language…as you would one day find it useful.
As a Global Citizen, what more can I say than…Il faut apprendre francais. A tout a l’ heures!!

Hi

We the TIG Port Harcourt Chapter have been able of take a first step, on ICT/Entrepreneurship dated the 27th April, 2008.

Our target lays on the issue of capacity building, initiative and great innovation. The programmme started at about 11.am and ended by exactly 6.pm. The venue was at the Hidden Treasure Quantum Business School. On the event, it was a participatory session with a lot of visionary concerning on the way further of achieve the project plans. The training is still in process, which we expexted to last for 3 days.

Sexuality is still a taboo topic in many societies - and the taboo is even greater for people with disabilities. Parents and relatives believe that a woman with disability should not engage in sex. Some sleep with any man, to get away from their parents. Others are taken advantage of by men, playing on the women's need to be wanted and loved. Many are raped precisely because of their vulnerability: their disability may make it difficult for them to get away or fight off attackers or, in the case of mental impairment, to understand what is happening.

Research shows that almost 90 per cent of disabled women experience sexual abuse, exploitation and violence from the very people who are supposed to be helping them - care-givers, close relatives and family members. Sexual partners are also often abusive them because people with disability feel they have fewer chances of a relationship, they tend to stay with a partner even if he is violent or takes many other partners.
What is acceptable in the community is for a disabled person to marry another disabled person so that together they share their curse", says a disabled local counselor in Uganda . To add to the already harrowing problems of discrimination and abuse in sexual matters comes the risk of HIV and AIDS. If you are raped, or have little choice in sexual partners, or have no power in a relationship - which is the experience of huge numbers of people with disability - you run a greatly increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection including HIV.

Abusers may also deludedly believe the myth that sex with disabled women cures AIDS, or perhaps think that disabled women don't have sex and therefore will not be infected with HIV. Disabled people are less likely than others to be informed about HIV and AIDS, even in societies such as Nigeria where public information campaigns are widespread. Because they are seen as unlikely to have sex they often miss out on traditional sex education; because they are often illiterate, they may not be able to read publicity material; because they are often poor they may lack access to (or may be unable to hear or watch) radio and TV. It's hard enough for men; a disabled man approached a village health team for a packet of condoms and was asked, "What do you want to do with them? Has someone sent you for them?" Rather than risk further mockery and humiliation, the man chose to do without a condom. The difficulty experienced by a man in such circumstances can usually be multiplied many times for a woman. If someone with a disability becomes HIV-positive, discrimination triples. Disabled women living with HIV face double discrimination, First and foremost as women, secondly as women with disabilities. It is still worse if a woman has disability and is HIV positive. This means this person is being discriminated against three times over HIV and AIDS organisation are rarely willing to work with people with disabilities. There is no readily available information in Braille or sign language at Voluntary Testing Centers. No provision is made for the blind to read the instructions on condoms. To avoid yet further hostility, people with disabilities who also have AIDS frequently avoid getting treatment, including antiretroviral (ARV). A disable girl told me that she choose to suffer and die quietly than come out and expose herself to humiliation and stigma. People with disabilities were some times excluded from the country's national HIV/AIDS policy, reinforcing the perception that they were social misfits. There is need for new approach. It is a bleak picture, and of enormous importance, both for the individuals concerned but also for international efforts to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. Given that an estimated 10 per cent of the world's citizens are disabled, the AIDS crisis cannot be addressed successfully unless individuals with disability are routinely included in all AIDS outreach efforts.

It would be a mistake to assume that the only benefits from partnerships accrue to youth. Adults and the organizations in which partnerships operate also benefit from youth adult partnerships. Adults:
• Experience the competence of youth first hand and begin to perceive young people
as legitimate, crucial contributors.
• Find their commitment and energy enhanced by working with youth.
• Feel more effective and more confident in working with and relating to youth.
• Understand the needs and concerns of youth, become more attuned to programming
issues, and gain a stronger sense of connection to the community.
• Receive fresh ideas from different perspectives.
• Reach a broader spectrum of people.
• Develop more relevant and responsive programming and services.
• Share knowledge.
• Increase creativity.
• Break down stereotypes about both youth and adults

“The information society cannot be complete without the active engagement and involvement of African women, who play a major role in reaching out and disseminating information to different communities.” Lettie Longwe, WSIS-Gender Caucus Secretariat


In the last decades ICT has become a powerful and widespread communications platform, particularly given the convergence of existing communications media with new communication technologies. ICT can be used to increase access to employment, education or health services; strengthen democracy; improve transparency; provide a platform for diverse voices; and cross-cultural knowledge exchange. The social, political and economic changes wrought by new information and communications technology have prompted certain shifts in development thinking. Development strategists now see, as recognized for example in the UN Millennium Declaration, the need to adapt ICTs as a way to avoid further marginalization, and also as a potential force for creating new economic growth opportunities and for pushing democratic boundaries

The digital divide between the developed and developing world in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) is the result of various factors beyond infrastructure, including poverty, lack of resources, illiteracy and low levels of education. In many societies women are the most impoverished with the least access to resources and with little control over decisions that affect their lives. For this reason, women are on the wrong side of the digital divide, with limited access to and control over ICTs.

When considering the factors that contribute to these inequalities it is important to understand the ways in which ICTs are allocated between women and men (the gendered allocation of ICTs), the different opportunities that exist for men and women with respect to education, training and skills development, employment and working conditions, content development and access to power structures and decision-making processes.

World secondary school enrolment statistics show that only 11% have achieved gender equality and 51% have a lower enrolment ratio for girls than boys.
In 2003 women earned in formal market on average, 79 -75 per cent of what men earned. Men more likely are hired in regular and better-paid positions, while women are increasingly being hired in peripheral, insecure, less-valued jobs including home-based, casual or temporary work. (ILO, Global Employment trends for women 2004)
The factors listed above influence the fact that the great majority of the world's women have no access to internet or to any other sort of modern communication system, and possibly will not in their lifetime.

But providing women with connectivity is not enough. Beyond questions of access to technology and software, other major concerns must to be addressed such as the need to break down gender and cultural barriers to women’s access to careers in technology, or absence of women in decision-making structures

Because women bear the brunt of violent conflicts, they have also been at the forefront of conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace building. They have taken on different initiatives to transform the negative and stereotypical victim image that is often attributed to women caught in violent conflict situations to a positive and empowered image of stakeholders and active participants in the pursuit for just and sustainable peace. However, the idea of using the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) for facilitating dialogues towards peace remains an unpopular concept among women involved in peace activism. This, despite the many examples of how such technologies have been used to support grassroots activism, networking and movement building. For the International Women's Tribune Centre however, our long experience in using ICTs to get women’s voices heard in global policy and decision-making and in translating policy rhetoric into realities at the community level, has taught us that there is more to ICTs than just serving as a cheaper and faster communication vehicle and knowledge source.


In October 2005, on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, a landmark document that marks the first time the UN Security Council addressed the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and recognized their contributions to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peace-building, we at IWTC launched the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue in partnership with Isis WICCE. The Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue brought together women peacebuilders from Nepal, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Uganda and Zimbabwe representing 40 women’s organizations through a ‘real time global town hall meeting’ using Internet chat with voice and video/visual contact. It connected women working on peacebuilding and conflict resolution at country and community levels with gender advocates, policy makers and diplomats meeting at the UN, and with women attending the AWID Forum in Bangkok, Thailand. Participants in New York included personnel of the Canadian mission to the UN, women activists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, and USA as well as Rachel Mayanja, the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. The major thrust of the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue was women’s efforts to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, as well as the gaps and challenges they confront in working for its full implementation. Rachel Mayanja noted the women's concerns and suggestions and took their messages to the Open Debate of the UN Security Council, which took place immediately following the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue.

The discussions during the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue were recorded and edited and were used to produce radio features, public service announcements and radio drama in English, Luganda and Swahili. These radio productions that highlight women’s role in peacebuilding and reconstruction are currently being aired in different radio stations in Uganda and other parts of Africa. The Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue combined the power of the new information and communication technologies and the broad reach of radio to allow women peace activists at the national and community levels to sit at the peace table with policy makers and gender advocates at the international level. At the same time, it allowed for a broader outreach to more women in the communities by way of the radio productions.



The Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue represented an important link in “grounding” the connection between policies proposed at global level and realities confronting women at the local level. It was an effective exercise in making local voices heard in a global space and bringing back that global discussion to make sense at the local level. Moreover, the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue is an example of innovative usage of ICTs that builds on current efforts in conflict resolution, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding by enhancing channels, and modalities of communication, information dissemination, knowledge sharing, and collective learning in virtual spaces, especially when physical interactions are not possible because of geographical distance, lack of resources, and in certain instances, political sensitivities. It builds on the holistic view of conflict transformation, conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding as complex processes that are founded on the principles of inclusion and effective dialogue which can lead to trust, respect, and mutual acceptance of differences.

Within the broader picture of IWTC’s organizational objectives, the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue is part of our continuing efforts to develop a core group of community radio broadcasters, print journalists, and other media practitioners who will ensure an on-going flow of information to women at country and community levels regarding the use of a global policy like the SCR 1325 as well as the existence of new legal mechanisms and how they can be used to protect and promote women’s rights.

Fifty years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognized the right to information as a fundamental human right. However the right to information only ensures a one-way communication flow, from those who have access to media and communication to those who haven’t. With homogenization of media, also freedom of expression appears to mean little. The structure of the media does not allow individuals to be heard outside the walls of their houses. In this context, communication rights emphasises the interactive process to ensure flow of information in both directions, and brings in issues of media ownership, censorhip and content regulations, privacy and intellectual property rights.

Pornography on the internet is one justification for governments calls on developing technology that will not only filter content but will track down creators and clients of pornographic websites. But it is usually the state who decides what content is 'harmful' or 'illegal'.

Secure online spaces - where women feel safe from harassment, enjoy freedom of expression and privacy of communication - enable survivors of violence against women to communicate their situation and seek help. These spaces are threatened by new ICT legislation allowing 'electronic snooping', and the increased development of smaller and more accessible ICT devices that support surveillance, facilitating abusers' ability to monitor VAW survivors, for example.

Women are disadvantaged when dealing with issues related to censorhip, privacy and security or intellectual property rights, because in general they are often not directly represented at the local, regional and national political decision-making structures where those issues are discussed.

bring to you compliments of the season even as I acknowledge the onerous task that you are carrying out in the field, I write to thank you all for your support, Contributions, ideas and wonderful postings just because of Election.

I never know that we have such a wonderful, vibrant and active young people in this E- forum that can devote their time energy and resources to talk about NYNETHA issues.

Too many young people die simply for lack of access to the knowledge that can save their lives. This knowledge exists; however it remains inaccessible to those who need it the most. Access to health information is an integral part of all health systems because it can improve people's health.

HIV/AIDS is trying to keep its promise by destroying our economy, increasing the number of orphan and vulnerable children in the country, bringing poverty to our Country, kill our young people, keep our young people out off school, broken homes, taking our love ones from us.
We need to ask ourselves these questions, are we keeping the promise, the promise of care and support PLWHA, the promise of greater involvement of PLWHA, in the planning, implementation and monitoring of HIV/AIDS activities, the promise of accountability, the promise of an HIV/AIDS free society and sustainable development. This and other questions we need to ask ourselves individually as we are in another year of HIV promise. It is a challenge to all of us to become more knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS and its related promises. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is increasing on young people and woman.
Some of us, where known and heard only in internet but when you come to their community and grassroots where HIV is keeping its promise they are doing noting. Everybody wants to be heard and known because NYNETHA election is at hand. But since we started this forum, they have not raised any issue, suggestions or shared any best practices for others to emulate. But today every body wants to be noticed ad heard just because of election.
The challenges that we young people are facing today are formidable, over 500 million people ages between 15 and 24 are living below the poverty line (less than $2.00 per day). 6,000 young people are infected with HIV daily And 1,500 women most of whom under 24 years die everyday as a result of Early pregnancy or childbirth World Population Report 2005 indicates That almost a quarter of all individuals living with HIV/AIDS are young People, yet they represent half of all new HIV infection cases. The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is about 4.4% translating to over 3.5 million people. The highest rate (5.6%) of infection is among young people aged 20-29 years. Despite progress in expanding prevention and treatment in the country, only 20% of males and 10 % of females between the ages 14 -25 can correctly identify ways of preventing HIV transmission. 1,200 young people in Nigeria got infected with HIV every day, which shows that one person per minute. World Population Report 2005 indicates Youth even though are important segment of our society lack the necessary information, skills and services that are needed to prevent themselves from contracting HIV. Youth are critical stakeholders in development processes and in the control of HIV/AIDS, we need to be heard and support. My dear brothers and sister, HIV and AIDS is one of the greatest threats to the welfare of Nigerian youths today, if we start to think about these issues and there solution then, this will start to break down the stigma and discrimination barriers that exist, and also provide a way for HIV/AIDS free society which is our vision

We young people make up 30 percent of the global population. Whatever decisions we make now — or that adults make for us — will have an impact not just on our individual futures, but on the future of the entire planet. This is especially true when it comes to our sexual and reproductive health and rights. The sexual lives of young people are not necessarily an issue that older generations want to address. But if we young people are really involved, policies at the global, national and local levels can better reflect our needs, and better prepare us for our future.

We young people make up 30 percent of the global population. Whatever decisions we make now — or that adults make for us — will have an impact not just on our individual futures, but on the future of the entire planet. This is especially true when it comes to our sexual and reproductive health and rights. The sexual lives of young people are not necessarily an issue that older generations want to address. But if we young people are really involved, policies at the global, national and local levels can better reflect our needs, and better prepare us for our future.