Connected Development [CODE] is a non-government organization [NGO] whose mission is to empower marginalized communities in Africa. They envision a world where everyone, everywhere can hold their government accountable. Their core values include Integrity, Commitment, Inclusion, Quality Service, Strategic Partnerships, and Freedom of Information. CODE started on the premise of its “Follow the Money” (FTM) Initiative in 2010, which was a youth-led movement to torchlight the plaguing corruption in international aid and public spending while demanding transparency, accountability, and improved public service delivery. The necessity in 2010 was the Bagega lead poisoning in Zamfara state 2010 which led to the death of 400 children and the poisoning of thousands more. While the initiative started in 2010, it was legally registered in 2012.

Through this initiative, CODE has tracked and monitored public spending in rural communities across Nigeria, reaching an estimate of 3 million community members covering373 communities, across 34 Nigerian states. As such, CODE has worked with tens of community governance structures to monitor the implementation of USD 13.5 million worth of socio-economic projects in their communities. Through Follow the Money, CODE has promoted and ensured open government, improved service delivery in the execution of community projects by the government, exposed and mitigated corruption, as well as fought extreme poverty in rural communities.

In 2016, CODE won the ONE Africa Award which recognizes, rewards, and advances the exceptional workof African-based organizations; dedicated to helping the continent achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Also in May 2019, during the United Nations SDG Global Festival of Action in Bonn, Germany, FollowTheMoney won the UN SDG Mobilizer Award. The Award is aimed at recognizing changemakers and organizations who demonstrate more successes in mobilizing citizens or volunteers to act for the realization of SDG 2030 agenda. Furthermore, during the Council of Europe’s World Forum for Democracy 2019 in Strasbourg France, FollowTheMoney won the Democracy Innovation Award. This award recognizes FollowTheMoney as one of the leading ground-breaking initiatives in the world, that promotes democratic principles and influences government policies for the acceleration of socio-economic developments.

Hamzat Lawal (Hamzy!) is the Founder of CODE and Follow The Money initiative. He is an anti-corruption activist, a seasoned award-winning campaigner who has successfully mobilized thousands of citizens to demand social change across Africa. He was recognized in 2018 among the 100 most influential people in digital government by Apolitical, his Follow The Money won the UN SDG Action Award as Mobilizer 2019 and the global School named him among 6 young people changing the world alongside Malala and Greta. In 2019, He was also recognized as one of 100 Most Influential Africans and also emerged as one of 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government 2019.

On this project, CODE is partnering with Boys Quarters Africa (Registered as Boy-Child Reformation Initiative) – Boychild transformation movement, missioned with the core objective of Educating, Rightly Empowering and Advocating for the Boychild. This vision transcends mere social enterprise but a movement to raise a new tribe of Boys who will be better humans, who will rise to the demands of life and project the right kind of masculinity, fit enough for the desired future. Boys Quarters Africa was founded on the 28th of December 2018, by Solomon O. Ayodele- an Innovation Manager, Afrophile, and Gender-Based Violence Expert.

Connected Development and Boys Quarter Africa through the Project SABI Initiative seeks to stimulate a nationwide movement aimed at ending all forms of violence against Women and Girls, by capacity strengthening strategic and multi-dimensional engagement lead byMen and Boys as advocates.

Project Sabi through a grassroots engagement approach with Men and Boys will directly impact and empower victims, young people across the project states, with necessary information on their roles as responders, diverse communication and reporting channels, and the need to mobilize mass voices to collectively speak out against this act. This practical cum solutions-driven project would be broken into SABI Town Hall for Men and Consent Concert for Boys.

The specific objectives of the project include:

To strengthen the capacity of 1000 men and 1000 boys as ‘he-for-she’ champions to lead strategic advocacy and multi-dimensional stakeholders engagement against gender-based violence in Nigeria, through a week-long clustered and specialized training program.

To provide a safe space for women, girls, and victims of gender-based violence to interact on the effective psychosocial support system, by thoroughly teaching 1,000 men and 1000 Boys about positive masculinity, response to gender-based violence, inclusive fatherhood, caregiving, mental health, and trauma, and domestic violence and also teaching boys on the nitty-gritty of consent, violence against women and girls, and how both Men and Boys can work on ending these varying violence.

To mobilize and create a social construct platform where men and boys are assisted to confront the age-long and culturally inherited biases via a specialized ConsentConcert for Boys and focused SABI Townhall for Men, in addressing issues like anger management, social adjustment, conflict resolution, emotional stability, and consent, in order to create an equal and safe society, where tangible results are experienced in the immediate.

Curate an engaging and educating digital social platform where Men and Boys can unpack their misogynist level and tendencies, hence, galvanizing them as major allies and change agents in the reporting and speaking up against sexual and gender-based violence, which in turn drastically reduces the race of violence against women and girl.

CODE and Boys Quarters through our effective mobilization and stakeholders engagement approach would ensure an increasingly growing number of men who will acknowledge and understand how sexism, male dominance, and male privilege lay the foundation for all forms of violence against women and girls. Through the SABI Community Town-Hall for Men, there would be a careful examination and challenge of their individual sexism and the role every man subtly plays in aiding other abusive men.

This project will also help recognize and stop the intended and non-intending collusion with other less-knowledgeable men; by helping them get out of the inherited socially defined roles that are harmful, and taking a veritable stand to end violence against women and girls. In educating and re-educating Men and Boys about their responsibility in ending this menace, it helps them get out of their socially defined role and taking a strong stance in the fight against all forms of violence against women and girls.

This project targets an engagement of 1,000 Men and 1,000 Boys within 20 Months.