ESD Global Fellows & Graduates Unite Efforts to Expand ESD Trainings Across the World!

All persons deserve to feel safe and protected and the ESD Global team is leading a world-wide ESD Movement to ensure that organizations across the globe have the skills needed to live safe, violence-free lives!

We are so proud to see our interns, fellows and graduates come together to expand ESD initiatives across the world! Joy Muthanje Mwaniki, our Regional Program Officer for Africa, who first joined ESD Global as an intern, is currently supporting the development of ESD Global programs in Africa! Joy met with Daniel from the Onome Akinlolu Majaro Foundation (OAM Foundation) & Adanma, an ESD instructor from Nigeria to discuss teaching staff from OAM Foundation self-defense skills. A total of 7 staff members from the OAM Foundation will undergo training from the 17th of October to the 14th of November.

We are excited to work with Onome Akinlolu Majaro (OAM), an organization committed to ensuring the protection of persons with albinism. Based in Nigeria, Onome Akinlolu Majaro Foundation's mission is to "end discrimination against people living with albinism and to promote the wellbeing of persons with albinism who, in some parts of the world, are misunderstood, marginalized, and even attacked and killed because of their genetic condition".

“It will really be important for us to participate in this training on self-defense because it’s going to help us to also step the training down to our people so that they will know what to do as first contact, it becomes necessary now that incidences of domestic violence, sexual harassment of both men, women, boys and girls, young, and aged have increased from what they used to be ten years ago”, says Daniel.

Since participating in our Level 1 ESD Training in Israel last February, Adanma Nwokoma (Olowa) has wasted no time putting the skills she gained to use in her community. When asked about the attire required in such courses, Adanma says, “Attacks do not happen depending on what you are wearing. They can happen at any time, so I don’t ask people to come in any particular clothing.” This is a powerful reminder to us to always be ready, as violent attacks can happen in any situation.

These exciting regional partnerships are led by Federica Lacava, ESD Global's Regional Program Manager for Africa & Europe. Federica is supporting our graduates in their journey as ESD instructors by providing them with opportunities to improve their ESD teaching skills while expanding the network of African organizations interested in learning Empowerment Self-Defense.