NIGERIA: ADDITIONAL PROJECT FOR EMBASSY SMALL

UNCLAS LAGOS 001128 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR CA/VO/F/PINL/G/TIP SALLY NEUMANN; DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RSA ROBERT ZUEHLKE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ELAB KCRM KWMN PGOV PHUM PREL SMIG NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ADDITIONAL PROJECT FOR EMBASSY SMALL PROJECT FUNDS FOR ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS EFFORTS REF: STATE 8083 ¶1. This is an action request. See para 5. ¶2. After supplying project descriptions to the Senior Policy Operating Group (SPOG) per reftel, Mission's Small Project Funds Committee received a proposal from an NGO in Edo State. Because Edo State is widely considered the country's highest volume trafficking source and the proposal is action oriented, the committee agreed that funding was warranted and would have a positive impact on anti-trafficking efforts in Nigeria. This proposal fits within the allotted $18,000 total budget and so will not have an impact on the three proposals already submitted to the SPOG. ¶3. Per reftel, Mission offers the following information on the new project: PROJECT TITLE: Training Programs and Legal Publications to Promote Awareness and Prevention of Human Trafficking in Edo State AMOUNT: $5,000 PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION: The Network for Justice and Democracy in Edo state will publish and disseminate an already written text on the scope of the trafficking problem and relevant Nigerian law. The NGO will also offer a series of seminars, provide a hot-line service for victims, and distribute awareness brochures, stickers, and other publicity materials in a high-risk Benin City area, considered "ground zero" for human trafficking in Nigeria. The project will also include production of radio and television announcements to encourage anti-trafficking efforts in the community over a seven-month period. ¶4. The three other projects submitted for approval to the SPOG have the following, revised funding totals: A) Royal Pearls Foundation in Akwa Ibom state: $5,000 B) Community Partners for Development/Centre for Law Enforcement Education in Akwa Ibom state: $4,000 C) International Press Center in Lagos: $4,000 The total for all four proposals will therefore fit within the $18,000 total allotment for these grants. ¶5. Action Request. Post requests that the SPOG review the proposal from Edo State and add it to the list of accepted projects for Nigeria's Embassy Small Project Funds for Anti-Trafficking in Persons efforts. HOWE