The “Development of Consciousness and Facilitation for the Advancement of LGBTQI+ Rights in Borno State” project was a comprehensive advocacy and service-delivery initiative designed to strengthen the legal, social, and community protection of LGBTQI+ persons across Borno State, Nigeria. Implemented over a 20-month period by Society for Equal Health and Rights (SEQHER), the project addressed the severe human rights challenges faced by LGBTQI+ individuals living in a region marked by insecurity, discrimination, social stigma, and criminalization. Supported by funding from Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest (ISDAO), the initiative created safer spaces for community engagement, rights awareness, legal support, psychosocial assistance, and advocacy.
Throughout the project, SEQHER implemented a broad range of community-centered interventions including civil and human rights campaigns, focus group discussions, feedback forums, human rights sensitization trainings, gender-based violence response services, paralegal capacity-building programs, and strategic advocacy visits to government agencies, health institutions, law enforcement bodies, and community leaders. The project also introduced groundbreaking Pride events in North-Eastern Nigeria, creating rare safe spaces where LGBTQI+ individuals could openly express themselves, build networks, and celebrate their identities without fear of persecution. Across these interventions, beneficiaries reported improved awareness of their legal rights, increased confidence in seeking justice, stronger community solidarity, and reduced incidents of blackmail, extortion, and exploitation.
A major achievement of the project was its success in building strategic relationships with state institutions, civil society actors, and international organizations while simultaneously strengthening grassroots LGBTQI+ organizing in both urban and rural communities. The initiative supported over 234 survivors of gender-based violence, trained community paralegals, established networks of changemakers and allies, and expanded advocacy efforts into underserved local government areas including Konduga, Bama, Magumeri, Mafa, and Jere. Despite operating in an environment characterized by political hostility, economic instability, and security risks, the project significantly improved community resilience, visibility, access to justice, and human rights awareness for LGBTQI+ individuals in Borno State while laying a stronger foundation for long-term community-led advocacy and protection systems.
