Submitted
2020 Elevate Prize

DEWCARE SPECIALIST SERVICES

Team Leader
Agatha Nnaji
About You and Your Work
Your bio:

Agatha Nnaji, a top corporate and social entrepreneur is transforming lives of vulnerable, pro-poor persons through skills training and empowerment programs in Care/Hospitality Industries. She’s a dynamic, solution-oriented leader, who served as Area Director of Sales/Marketing, and an accredited Trainer for Sheraton/Starwood Hotel Group.

Agatha cares about people. Dewdrop Institute was inspired by the need to eliminate the mistreatment of care/domestic servants in Nigeria by equipping them with professional skills and decent jobs. DDI changes their lives by transforming their services from the unregulated/informal sector into a sustainable and noble professional career with commensurate compensations, benefits, and opportunities for life-long self-development and entrepreneurship.

Agatha’s Mum’s Alzheimer’s disease inspired her to develop the Dewcare Service and sensitize the public on this greatly misunderstood health challenge for elderly people in Nigeria. The Service addresses the unique gender, cultural and environmental requirements of elderly and vulnerable people who need skilled Caregivers in Nigeria. 

Project name:
DEWCARE SPECIALIST SERVICES
One-line project summary:
Digital platform that eliminates obstacles to learning opportunities for all people & matches skilled Caregivers with in-demand decent jobs
Present your project.

Dewdrop Institute is addressing unemployment in Nigeria through creating free/affordable and accessible courses that operate on digital platforms and radio, to reach a wider audience; match skilled labour with demand, and empower urban/rural youths with entrepreneurial skills.

64 million out of Nigeria’s youth population of 80million are unemployed (National Bureau Statistics, 2015). Labour supply is much more than demand. For the teeming Nigerian graduates looking for employment, skills often do not match demand. With the harsh impact of the Covid-19 on the elderly, opportunities abound in the Care sector.

DewCare Specialist Service enables beneficiaries gain skills, earn decent wages and professionalize the Personal Care sector, thereby making it more attractive to the youths.

It advances the course of humanity through the provision of highly in-demand vocational education in Caregiving, job creation with entrepreneurship training, thereby providing a sustainable poverty elimination solution that bridges the labour market vs skill demand gap.

Submit a video.
What specific problem are you solving?

Dewcare Specialist Service offers vocational training and career guidance for millions of Nigerians outside the formal school system, including the hearing impaired, and addresses the need of elderly and vulnerable people for appropriate culture & gender-based care.

Nigeria’s 200 million population includes 34% unemployed desperate youths and women who fall victim to perpetrators of illegal migration, sex/modern day slave trade market. Nigeria has 9.3 million elderly people aged over 60 years (National Population Commission), and ranks 86 out of 96 countries on the Global Agewatch Index that monitors the welfare/well-being of the aging population. Nigeria lacks adequate medical facilities, policies and trained caregivers. Government’s efforts to address the medical facilities and policies have not yielded the desired results, while the low-hanging fruit of providing professional vocational skills training and decent job opportunities with appropriate social benefits and career development path for Caregivers is not on their radar screen

Dewcare Specialist Service will bridge this gap using a technology-based training app that provides easily accessible and affordable online vocational training (with internships), that addresses the high demand for professional home-caregivers by the elderly, children (especially 0 - 5 years), people with special needs and families in general.

What is your project?

Dewcare Specialist Services platform is a unique digital learning platform for culture and gender-based Personal Caregiving Skills (PCS) that eliminates obstacles to learning opportunities for all people. It trains Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) for elderly and vulnerable people in four certified levels, with flexibility to suit individual’s pace/convenience. 

Features include:

  • Live training at our training centers, workshops and free public radio programs. 
  • Development of training content such as videos and assessments is the most expensive component.  
  • Training Content is available in English, three Nigerian languages for the high population without formal education, and sign language for the hearing impaired. 
  • Curriculum includes training in entrepreneurship to enable competent learners have requisite start-up skills. 
  • The employment portal, where prospective employers in need to trained staff post vacancies. This allows for trained youth to find decent jobs.
  • Flexible payment plans, access to social protection contracts such as health insurance schemes are part of the negotiation we do on behalf of our candidates.
  • The development of an App that will reach Nigeria's 170 million mobile phone subscribers. With Smartphone penetration set to grow to around 60% by 2025, the App will increase market share by accessing the sections of the population without personal computers
Who does your project serve, and in what ways is the project impacting their lives?

We are working with Nigerian Board for Technical Education, youths, and 1100 elderly persons on curbing elder-abuse in 11 project communities in Enugu State, Nigeria. Results of the Oxfam/Voice sponsored project indicate that the ageing population fare better when they have skilled Caregivers to assist them in their homes.

60 trained caregivers who received the Dewcare training, provided much-needed assistance with the Seenagers’ daily activities, including personal grooming, meal preparation, taking their medications, and protecting them from abuse which are inherent in many families with limited resources. Well-trained caregivers also reduce the number of accidents/injuries and loss of lives incurred by the vulnerable and ageing population. The elderly in each project community belong to a "Seenagers' Association" which amplifies their voice in the Community/State, and gives them a sense of value. The project activities are guided by the priorities/needs they communicate to our team. Independent assessments are conducted to monitor and evaluate the impact of the project activities and outcomes on their welfare and well-being.

We work with young community mobilizers, representatives of the elderly and the representatives of caregivers, to find out the best solutions and how to make them most beneficial for the aged/vulnerable people, and unemployed youths/women.

Which dimension of The Elevate Prize does your project most closely address?
  • Elevating opportunities for all people, especially those who are traditionally left behind
Explain how your project relates to The Elevate Prize and your selected dimension.
  • Professionalizing Caregiving creates decent job opportunities and changes people’s attitudes/behaviors towards taking jobs in the care sector.
  • It reduces unemployment, irregular migration, illiteracy, and elder abuse by providing opportunities for those who are traditionally left behind.
  • Enables Nigeria's 9.3 million aged/vulnerable population get culture and gender sensitive services from skilled Caregivers.
  • Enhances understanding of age-related issues thereby changes people’s attitudes/behaviors towards elderly.
  • Creates learning opportunities for millions of Nigerians outside the formal school system, including hearing impaired, and over 65 million unemployed youths/women
  • Reduces modern-day slavery of house/domestic servants who fall victim to perpetrators of illegal migration and modern-day slavery
How did you come up with your project?

Dewdrop Founder, Agatha is a social changemaker and an Ashoka Fellow.

7 years ago, she rescued two under-aged domestic workers from sexual abuse by their employer. They were at their employer’s mercy with nowhere to run to as their impoverished parents trusted their employer and depended on their meagre wages for survival. In partnership with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), she worked to prevent trafficking of youth and children, who are mostly domestic workers/caregivers.

Agatha’s Mum’s Alzheimer’s disease further inspired her to develop the Dewcare Program especially for this highly misunderstood age-related health challenge in Nigeria. Dewcare Specialist Services Program addresses these cross-cutting needs of women, youths, unemployed, elderly and vulnerable people who need skilled Caregivers in Nigeria.

Dewdrop Institute was established in 2016 to provide professional skills certification in caregiving as a way to equip domestic workers for the formal Care-sector workforce and entrepreneurs.

Prior to the COVID-19, Dewdrop’s courses were primarily delivered in classrooms. The pandemic disrupted this model and education in Nigeria; hence Dewdrop’s refocus on elevating its digital model, which will enable various populations nationwide to access the courses irrespective of their location.

Why are you passionate about your project?

Agatha’s 90-year-old mother has Alzheimer’s. Elder abuse is common in Nigeria. Nigeria's 9.3 million aged/vulnerable population need culture and gender sensitive services from skilled Caregivers. Meanwhile, 34% of Nigeria's 200 Million population are unemployed.

Agatha is from Enugu State in South-East Nigeria, one of 15 top States for illegal migration (IOM). The region has a vibrant, hard-working population of nearly 40 million people, with arable land and an economy whose potential growth has been stunted by lack of adequate infrastructure in the region (SEREDEC 2020). The Civil War (1967 – 1970) truncated Enugu’s economic growth and industries in the South-East region are yet to fully recover. According to ILO, Enugu State’s lack of employment has contributed significantly to agitations, youth restiveness, elder abuse and insecurity.

Dewcare Program addresses cross-cutting needs of women, youths, unemployed, elderly and vulnerable people who need skilled Caregivers in Nigeria. It will contribute significantly to decreasing the escalating unemployment rate in Enugu and Nigeria, by focusing primarily on the Caregiving and Hospitality sectors which are high-employment industries in Nigeria.

Dewdrop Institute has initiated the approval process for a national diploma course in Personal Care Services with Nigeria’s TVET regulator, the Nigerian Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

Why are you well-positioned to deliver this project?

Dewdrop Institute is a City & Guilds UK accredited Vocational Centre, approved by the Ministry of Education in Nigeria, and the official training partner of South-Africa based BON Hotel (former Protea) Management Group’s portfolio of 26 hotels in Nigeria. 

Dewdrop’s Founder Agatha has over 30 years top corporate management (and training) experience in the Hospitality, Social Development and Power sectors.

The results of Dewdrop’s work with 1100 elderly persons, youths, women, community leaders and key stakeholders in Enugu State to curb elder abuse indicate that the ageing population fare better with skilled home-based Caregivers.

Dewdrop Institute’s team of highly experienced industry experts are pioneering the development of the online curriculum and App, with strong support from its Advisory Board which includes globally acclaimed professionals. 

The program empowers learners to become Personal Care Specialists through access to life-long, self-paced learning, job-matching, and entrepreneurship programs, delivered online or in class.

Since 2016 we have trained over 400 Learners in hospitality and caregiving. The database of skilled Learners is matched with potential clients/employers, for decent job opportunities.

As pioneers of the Dewcare program, we have initiated the approval process to establish a national diploma in caregiving with the TVET regulator, the National Board for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NBTE), thereby making it more accessible in vocational and tertiary institutions nationwide. This will contribute significantly to decreasing the escalating unemployment rate in Nigeria by matching market demand with skilled workforce, especially in the Care and Hospitality sectors which are high-employment industries globally.

Provide an example of your ability to overcome adversity.

Dewdrop Institute has been focused on providing training opportunities to elevate millions of unemployed Nigerians out of poverty. Escaping the cycle of poverty requires proper training and employment. Unfortunately, the unemployed do not have the funds to pay for the training. In order to overcome this major challenge, we have increased our team’s grant-writing effort, and were able to access funds through a grant to train over 40 caregivers in Enugu State this year.

We have also initiated an optional payment plan for Learners that enables them start the training with payment of a minimum deposit, and match them with employers to enable them off-set the balance of their fees from their salaries within an agreed period. However, more awareness needs to be created about this in order to make our desired impact.

Recently, with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, rather than disappoint our project beneficiaries, our team successfully reorganized an inter-generational Art & Essay Competition on #StopElderAbuse to an exciting online national event, and identified 6 amazing winners who will become the young Ambassadors for the #StopElderAbusecampaign in Nigeria.

Describe a past experience that demonstrates your leadership ability.

In 2018, through her community development/social work, Agatha led the transformation of governance in Umuode community in Enugu State, into an inclusive leadership and governance structure that consults the women and encourages their active participation in the decision-making process. The outcome was the ground-breaking inclusion of two women in their two apex governance organizations, namely the Traditional Ruler's cabinet and the Town Union Executive Council of the community. 

Agatha and her team achieved this major break-through by identifying and partnering with key stakeholders and decision-makers in the community to modify the traditional male-centric Igbo leadership system, and embrace her vision of making Umuode a modern community that is devoid of harmful traditional practices and lopsided leadership systems. Today, Umuode people are very proud of their gender sensitive traditional governance system and approaches that uphold the principles of freedom and equality. 

How long have you been working on your project?
Caregiving: 3 years; Dewcare Program: 7 months
Where are you headquartered?
Abuja, Nigeria
What type of organization is your project?
  • Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
More About Your Work
Your Business Model & Funding
The Prize
Solution Team:
Agatha Nnaji
Agatha Nnaji
Executive Director
Nneka Egbuna
Nneka Egbuna
Denis Amadi
Denis Amadi