Towards advancing gender equality and empowerment, the management of Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO) said it had since 1987 empowered over 900,000 Nigerian women through various poverty alleviation programmes.
Sabina Idowu-Osehobo, executive director of LAPO, said Thursday during the 2016 LAPO International Women’s Day celebration in Benin City.
BusinessDay reports that the 2016 World International Women celebration had as its theme, “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it up for Gender Equality,” while LAPO adopted its sub-theme, “Advancing Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women.”
Osehobo noted that the organisation had been channelling its energy and resources into processes that promote gender parity, spending more on programmes directed at empowering and lifting women and girls from the grip of poverty, ignorance and disease.
She also said a total of 586,000 women benefited from the organisation’s social and health empowerment services in 2015, leading to significant improvement in their standards of living.
A total of 3,247 women were sensitised on the dangers and solutions associated with female sexual abused and rendered free legal aid services to 31 females, which include rape cases in 2015, she said.
The LAPO executive director further added that in 2013, the organisation instituted the LAPO outstanding women leadership award which identities and honours women who have recorded milestones achievements in diverse endeavours.
Osehobo posited that about 500 million women are illiterate worldwide, 120 million girls experienced rape and other forced sexual acts, 62 million girls uneducated, 40,000 daily child brides and 155 countries operating discriminatory laws.
She however enjoined all stakeholders to take urgent steps towards creating a world with gender balanced leadership, respect and values as well as work for the attainment of women’s rights, empowerment and gender equality towards eliminating poverty and promote sustainable development.
In her remarks, Edo State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aanena Jemitola, urged women to rededicate themselves to the struggle for the elimination of all forms of economic, political and socio-cultural biases against the women folks.
Jemitola said that would increase their participation in the development process of the society.
