In commemoration of World Food Day, and International Day of Rural Women, the Shola Mese Foundation in collaboration with Lions Club District 404A1, Warri on Wednesday distributed wrappers and food items to over 200 women and youths in Oguno community in Warri South council area of Delta State.
Founder of the Shola Mese Foundation, Shola Mese while presenting wrappers to 50 elderly women and food to over 150 youths of the community said he was driven by the passion to help the needy and also the quest to eradicate poverty from the society.
He said what he was doing was also in line with the United Nations’ International Day for Rural Women which recognizes the women living in rural areas.
He said they distributed the wrappers to the women in the community to put smiles on their faces and also make them feel that they were part of the society.
“What we are doing today is what we have been doing over the years. We are in Oguno community today because it’s our policy to go round communities in Delta State and today is the turn of this community.
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Also, in order to remove the youths from the streets and curb the menace of drug abuse amongst youths in the community, the foundation offered them free vocational skills that will make them self employed.
“For the youths, we offered them free vocational training which will last from three months to twelve months. They will be trained freely on computer appreciation, graphics design, tailoring, makeup, and Helen tying, hair styling, barbing, catering, shoemaking, and bead making,” Mese said.
President of Warri Sapphire Lions Club, Omoefe Taiga, who spoke to BusinessDay on the sidelines said they are collaborating with Shola Mese Foundation in line with its mandate of putting smiles on the faces of the poor in the society.
Earlier she advised the women who did not have the opportunity to go school to learn a skill that will enable them to take care of themselves and their children, stressing that it was not good for a woman to sit at home without doing nothing.
“Some of us had the opportunity of going to school. But for those of us who did not have that opportunity, they should learn a skill because it is not good to be sitting at home all through doing nothing. It’s not everything that you want that you will be asking your husband, brothers, and uncle to give you,” Taiga said.
Another member of the Warri Sapphire Lions Club, Oghenekewe Shola-Abigor called on the women top take care of their children and try their best to bring them up to become useful people in society.
Beatrice Umukoro, one of the elderly women who benefited from the gesture of the NGO, thanked Shola Mese Foundation for remembering them.
“I really want to appreciate the Shola Mese Foundation for this gift that they have given me today. Wrappers are very expensive these days and for someone to give it to you as a gift shows that that person has your best interest at heart,” Umukoro said.
Another beneficiary, Queen Oghenetega while appreciating what the NGO had done for them said she has also registered to learn hairstyling, noting that it had been her dream to become a hairstylist but because of lack of funds she could not pursue her dreams.
“I really appreciate Shola Mese Foundation for this gift. I also want to thank them for offering to train us for free. It has been my dream to be a hairstylist but I don’t have the money to learn it. Now that this NGO has given us the opportunity I am going to take advantage of it,” Oghenetega said.
