NOVEMBER 2023- BENIN CITY, EDO STATE. Pathfinders is proud to launch ‘Project Restore, a 3-year Project which commenced on the 1st of October 2023, with support from the U.S. Department of State.
The Project’s objectives over the next 3 years are to see 1,000 young women and girls across Edo State no longer vulnerable to trafficking, while simultaneously developing an expansion model for other service providers that can be adapted to the evolving nature of trafficking and replicated across Nigeria. The Project will work to prevent sex slavery/sexual violence and liberate more enslaved women and girls in Edo State through the direct eradication of root causes, while more effectively addressing the capacity and capability gaps of stakeholders.
As part of the Project seeks to scale the impact of HERS Africa (www.hersafrica.com) (Africa’s first and only one stop resource hub for survivors), the current version of which allows users to access instructional videos in select dialects that offer much of the content our in-person trainings do (i.e., accounting for small businesses, learning to make air fresheners, managing trauma triggers, etc.) and offers a Directory for users to secure direct services from various organizations across the country, we conducted Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 40 participants to seek guidance from survivors and other users as to what specific features/ content would give the website more utility (i.e., additional languages, additional video topics, layout/access, etc.). Additionally, the FGDs allowed users to identify how the counseling tool on the website can be optimized to ensure effectiveness. This information will now be incorporated into the design of the updated HERS Africa website.
We are grateful to the U.S. Department of State for its support, which is allowing for the successful implementation of Project Restore. The opinions contained herein are those of Pathfinders and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State.
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