Oluchi Ihedoro is a dedicated consultant with 9 years of experience implementing development and humanitarian programs. She is passionate about capacity strengthening of individuals, organisations, private and public bodies to be better at what they do. Oluchi is available for work in Nigeria. She works in English, Igbo and some Hausa. Find out more about Oluchi in our Safeguarding Consultants Directory here.
Safeguarding Consultants Directory
The Safeguarding Consultants Directory is an online database of organisations and individuals that you can contract to support your safeguarding. The consultants featured on our Directory have experience from all over the world, rooted in the contexts that we work in. Between them, they speak 40 languages, and can offer services from policy development to investigation. Note that the Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub cannot cover the costs of contracting these consultants.
In this RSH blog series, we introduce some of our consultants to you. Feel free to ask questions related to the posts in the Comment box below!
RSH: What interests you most about safeguarding?
Accountability! I am very excited about the awareness that safeguarding is creating which makes everyone, irrespective of position or job description, to have a sense of responsibility in ensuring a safer work environment for all, and in seeing that people who we come in contact with are protected from harm. This has brought the issues of accountability and duty of care to life and put a check on power imbalance and misuse of power.
RSH: What are some recurring safeguarding questions/topics in your region?
Safeguarding is basically a new concept in the south-eastern and western parts of Nigeria where I currently work, hence questions around the following topics usually arise:
What does safeguarding really mean? How can one report a safeguarding breach while maintaining confidentiality? How can a low-capacity organisation handle cases of safeguarding breach and conduct investigations?
RSH: How do you approach these topics?
I pay a lot of attention to strengthening the capacity of organisations to firstly let them understand the true meaning of safeguarding, and benefits they gain when committing to the “Do no harm” policy. Another important thing for me is guiding them towards ensuring survivor-centered approaches are applied throughout their safeguarding journey, and confidentiality is made priority. Lastly, I train them on case handling and also guide them in mapping out other available services which could help them conduct further necessary investigations.
RSH: What key skills and experience do you bring to safeguarding?
I'm a trained mentor on safeguarding and currently provide professional support to organisations especially national civil society organisations to improve their safeguarding policies and practices to protect people they work with from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, Harassment and other forms of harms.
My area of specialty is monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning, and this helps me apply a SMART approach when supporting organisations on safeguarding. The acronym SMART stands for "specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound." I achieve this by recognising every organisation’s peculiarity, areas of strengths and weaknesses, adopting relevant information and lessons, and providing results-based support, while recognising set timing.
I am well skilled and experienced in supporting organisations improve their culture towards safeguarding staff and the people they serve; through developing robust safeguarding policies and code of conduct and reviewing them appropriately, training staff, management and board of trustees/directors on safeguarding, and supporting organisations to put adequate systems and procedures in place to improve practices and compliance to their safeguarding commitments.
RSH: What languages do you work in?
I work fluently in English and Igbo languages, with little of Hausa.
RSH: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?
I so much cherish capacity strengthening hence I appreciate every opportunity that helps me improve on myself to better support others, both directly and indirectly.