After GADA Training, CCMT Wins Police Backing, Eyes Private Sector Funding

CALABAR, CROSS RIVER – A Community Crisis Management Team (CCMT) in Nyanghasang, Calabar Municipality, has strengthened its response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) by securing the cooperation of the Nigeria Police Force and initiating discussions with private companies for financial support to sustain its community interventions.

The engagements followed the team’s capacity-building training under the Gender and Development Action (GADA) programme and formed part of efforts to translate knowledge acquired during the training into practical community action.

The first step came on June 19, when members of the Nyanghasang CCMT paid a courtesy visit to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Airport Police Division in Calabar to establish a working relationship aimed at improving responses to Gender-Based Violence cases.

During the meeting, the team presented its mandate and explained GADA’s mission of advancing the rights and development of women, girls and young people through community-based interventions against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

The delegation said the visit was intended to build a partnership that would ensure perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence were promptly arrested and prosecuted.

Responding, the DPO welcomed the initiative and assured the delegation of the division’s readiness to collaborate with the community-based response team.

According to the CCMT, the police agreed to assign an officer to participate in its meetings whenever necessary, assist with arrests, and provide security support to members carrying out community interventions.

The police, however, explained that operational funding remained a major challenge and advised the group to mobilise support from corporate organisations, philanthropists and other well-meaning individuals to sustain its activities and assist in logistics required during police operations.

Acting on that advice, the Nyanghasang CCMT shifted attention to building local partnerships for sustainability.

On July 13 and July 17, the team visited AA Rano Filling Station and Agims Oil respectively to seek sponsorship for its programmes as donor support from GADA gradually winds down.

Leading the delegation, the CCMT Chairman told the management of both organisations that the team’s collaboration with community youths had contributed to maintaining peace within Nyanghasang while also strengthening local mechanisms for responding to Gender-Based Violence.

At Agims Oil, the Manager, Mr. Innocent Adop, commended the team’s community service and pledged to forward its sponsorship request to the company’s Chief Executive Officer for consideration.

The CCMT said it would submit detailed proposals to both organisations and continue follow-up engagements aimed at securing partnerships to sustain community interventions.

The sequence of engagements reflects the team’s transition from capacity building to institutional collaboration and resource mobilisation, positioning the community-based initiative to strengthen local responses to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence through partnerships with law enforcement agencies and the private sector.