GBV: NGO empowered 2,000 women, 10,000 children – founder

A youth-based Non-Governmental Organisation, “Big Family 360 ” has empowered 2,000 women and 10, 000 children, using digital technology to help them fight Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Founder and Chief Executive of the NGO, Mr Dirug Samuel, made this known on Monday in Abuja. The technology, Smart Reporting and Referral (SMARTRR) is a mobile application that allows survivors,social workers and service providers to report and refer cases, incidents of gender based violence from their phones. Samuel said the foundation has  also given seed capital to over 1,000 women in local communities to start their businesses. “We try our best to provide social integrated services to women, cutting across education, social protection and livelihood to ensure that whatever kind of support they need, they will get it to enable them get integrated back into the society. “We have impacted the society positively with one form of support or the other for women and children. “Presently, on our own gender based violence app, over one thousand women reported a case of gender based violence and they got support. “We have enrolled over ten thousand out of school children back to school in the north eastern part of Nigeria, and supported women with seed capital to start up their businesses”. He said the foundation established in 2018, aspires to extend beyond being a country-based organization to a continent and globally recognised foundation, impacting lives of women and children. According to him, the organization began with just a group of three friends, but, has incorporated over ten persons as full time staff on its payroll. “From the north eastern part of Nigeria, I was actually groomed by my mum. So, this means I know most of the things women go through . “My mum usually say you know you don’t have anybody to protect you. So, for her to keep bringing that thought in my mind, I grew up doing this work, unconsciously gravitating towards supporting women. “It’s one of the core reasons and motivation behind what we are doing. “Big Family 360 came from my drive to have a community of people together and to serve at the same time. “It’s been quite a long journey but in the process, I keep discovering that I am no longer just protecting my sisters but, other women in the community; that has been the drive in ensuring that women are safe from any form of violence”, he said. Samuel said the activities of the foundation had scaled beyond Nigeria, crossing to the African continent. He said the organization had won an award from the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) in Nairobi, Kenya. ” It has a funding support and an award because, the viability of the foundation’s products were recognized, they are being called to deploy across the African community, not just Nigeria alone. “As a foundation that has worked with the Canadian government through funding, and the United Nations organisations, like Plan International, it has also received individual donors as well. “We are trying to scale up the African community and in the next five or ten years, Big Family 360 will spread across the African continent, saving women and girls from any form of abuse, and enrolling children back to school. “We are very sure that we will not just be a country based organisation but, a continent and globally known establishment”, he said. Samuel said the The ‘Big Family’ in their name points to a global family, while the ‘360’ is the level of impact they expect to make in the lives of individuals.