Contact Information
- Where – Nigeria (Western Africa)
- Website – www.begefoundation.org
- Contact Person – Omaga Iyawo Blessing
- Email – begefoundation@yahoo.com
- Address – No 29, 1st Avenue, Federal Lowcost Housing Estate, Jos South Local Government Area Plateau State.
- Other – Twitter
Areas of Expertise
The Bege Foundation for Women and Youth Empowerment has expertise in a range of areas, including:
Main Aims and Objectives
The Bege Foundation for Women and Youth Empowerment is a non-governmental, non-profit making and non-partisan organization that works towards the well-being of vulnerable persons and communities; through the entrenchment of peaceful values.
Aims and Objectives:
- To empower women and youths to gain employment or become self-employed and agent of positive change.
- To use entrepreneurial skills development as a tool for poverty reduction, conflict mitigation and promotion of social cohesion.
- To promote and strengthen democratic processes and civic education.
- To provide sustainable development, whilst strengthening and empowering communities to sustain our work.
- To promote non-formal education in fighting stereotypes, ignorance, prejudices, and inter-cultural/religious misunderstanding.
- Promote and encourage nonviolent ways of resolving conflict and freedom of rights.
- To actively engage in peace building program through trainings on conflict, mediation, reconciliation, dialogue, resilience skills and inter religious/cultural harmony.
- To strengthen and encourage good governance and social accountabilit
Upholding the Principles of Conflict Transformation
Through its monthly program “De Conference”, the Bege Foundation for Women and Youth Empowerment provides citizens the opportunity to discuss issues that often lead to violent conflicts, having realized that conflicts are an integral part of society’s on-going evolution and development.
In its conflict analysis, the Bege Foundation help participants see in conflict opportunities for change since it provides the parties reasons for interaction which should lead to understanding each other’s perspectives on issues. The two main programmes used for this purpose are the ‘Town Hall Meeting’ and ‘Peace Education’.
Having discovered that one of the root causes of conflict is high unemployment and wide spread poverty within the young population, the Bege Foundation has been creating opportunities for youths to gain entrepreneurial skills with which to make a decent living.
Where and with Whom
The Bege Foundation works in the middle belt region of Nigeria namely; Plateau State, Benue State, Nasarawa State, Kogi State, Kwara State and Niger State respectively.
The Bege Foundation works with government institutions like the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Ministry of Youth and Sport Council, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Nigeria Security Agencies and other NGO’s such as Search for Common Ground, GIZ, Apurimac Onlus Nigeria, Institute for Governance and Social Research (IGSR), Voice for the Girl Child, Inclusive Friends etc.
Main Activities in the Field of Conflict Transformation
1. Conflict Dialogue and Reconciliation
The Bege Foundation promotes a peaceful atmosphere through the instrument of conflict transformation, dialogue and reconciliation forums. The Foundation celebrates diversity by providing a platform for people to respectfully disagree to agree. Through this component, the organization also carries out a quarterly training for key stakeholders on conflict transformation, peace-building, community cohesion, mediation, concept of dialogue, reconciliation and understanding peace.
2. Community Town Hall Meetings
This meeting focuses on promoting societal harmony through the promotion of interfaith dialogue and cross cultural understanding. It also gives communities in conflict the platform to identify conflicting issues, proffer solutions, and agree on acceptable way forward by working together in addressing the issues through the formation of community groups.
3. Peace Education
The Bege Foundation contributes to the peacebuilding process through the training of educational stakeholders, community members, ethnic associations, unions, on peace education. The idea is to saturate the atmosphere with peace, ensuring that the set-up peace unit within their respective blocks. Through this medium, the Bege Foundation hopes to strengthen and consolidate peacebuilding processes, thereby promoting a culture of peace.
4. Bege Empowerment Scheme (BEEMS)
BEEMS empowers women and youths who were affected by the conflict with vocational skills, entrepreneurial skills and empowers them in choice skills. It also gives limited academic educational scholarship to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).
5. Community Security Network (COSNET)
COSNET is a network of vigilante groups operating at community levels, aimed at strengthening, structuring vigilante groups towards enhanced and effective peaceful community policing. The members of these groups are trained on;
- Conflict Early Warning/Early Response (EWER) and assessment;
- Resilience Skills;
- Community security networking;
- Mediation;
- Community dialogue skills;
- Steps to peace.
6. Research and Documentation
The Bege Foundation carries out research on contemporary issues as it affects the society with intends to proffer solutions and ways forward.
7. De Conference
A monthly gathering of stakeholders to discuss the role of stakeholders in democratic processes and other youth related issues in line with contemporary challenges facing the society with the aim of proffering possible solutions and forwarding same to relevant stakeholders for actions.
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