In a move aimed at checking the rising poverty among women and girls in Nigeria, a group, Healthy Living and Women Empowerment Initiative (HELWEI), in collaboration with Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP), is implementing a four-year project in Lagos State with focus on capacity building and skills acquisition for female farmers, women and young girls.
Organisers say that part of the intention of the programme is to bridge the inequality gap and see improved livelihood among beneficiaries.
Ebere Okey-Onyema, executive director of Healthy Living and Women Empowerment Initiative, said that the project’s goal was to achieve increased enjoyment of human rights by women and girls as well as the advancement of gender equality in Nigeria.
“We hope to promote resilience among women and raise women of economically-independent influence,” Okey-Onyema said.
The capacity building, which focused on agro-technology, financial management and marketing workshop was held in Idimu, a Lagos suburb, and adjudged to be holistic with integration of teachings on customer service and medical.
The project, which is fully supported by Action Aid Nigeria, is funded by Global Affairs Canada through the Women’s Voice and Leadership Nigeria Project, has been designed to train twenty women in Egbe/Idimu LCDA on farming especially fishery, poultry and snail with the goal of empowering women with required skills to be great farmers and to be economically independent.
Okey-Onyema added that a total number of twenty women were trained on fish farming, poultry and snail rearing, stressing that the participants were also taught on customer relations, personal effectiveness, basic farm accounting (financial management) and packaging.
Some of the participants who spoke after the event expressed joy on the impact the training has made in their lives, adding that they were determined to apply knowledge gained in their chosen areas of specialisation.
Part of the highlight of the empowerment programme was the provision of non-interest micro-credit to deserving/outstanding participants to support their small farms.
Speaking at the event, Bose Iro-Nsi, executive director of WRAHP, challenged the women to prioritise their health and also have investment plans.
Seun Olofin, Public Health Consultant, Lagos State University College of Medicine, in her presentation, advised the women on the need to prioritise health.
Gbolahan Osho, Agric expert from Food and Nutrition Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs challenged the participants to maximise the opportunities of learning and credit support to enhance their businesses and livelihood. Rabiu A. Kazeem, CDC chairman, Egbe-Idimu LCDA, was represented by Wasiu Adefowope, secretary.
