Association trains, empowers 16 FCT women on entrepreneurial, social skills

Association trains, empowers 16 FCT women on entrepreneurial, social skills

Training

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Novel Association for Youth Advocacy (NAYA) has empowered 16 adolescent girls and young women in the Federal Capital Territory with entrepreneurial and social skills as part of efforts to reduce Gender Based Violence in the country.

NAYA is a network of youth-led and youth-serving organizations working to create an enabling environment for improved health and well-being and fosters empowerment for adolescent and youth through advocacy, networking, service delivery and campaigns.

The association also established business hubs for the “right-holders” who successfully completed the vocational skill acquisition programmes.

The association National Coordinator, Rosemary Adejoh-Adaji, speaking during the empowerment programme in Abuja said that the beneficiaries were selected from Mpape and Kubwa communities of Bwari Area Council of FCT.

Adejoh-Adaji said that the project titled “Creating Hope Among Nigerian Girls through Economic Enterprise (CHANGE)” with funding support from Voice-OXFAM, said that the project was implemented from September 2022 to December 2023.

Adejoh-Adaji said that the beneficiaries went through a 10 month intensive vocational skills and business management trainings in January 2023 with a mandatory apprenticeship opportunity.

“The project aimed at improving the economic status of out-of-of-school Adolescent Girls’ and Young Women (AGYW) aged 18 to 29 years facing exploitation, abuse, and/or violence as part of efforts to end gender-based violence in Nigeria.

“The right-holders were equipped with entrepreneurial, financial literacy and social skills including leadership, team playing, time management, self-esteem building and conflict resolution,” she said.

Adejoh-Adaji added that the right-holders have been trained and linked to community saving and loans opportunities to increase their income and encourage saving culture among them.

She expressed confidence that the project would reduce gender based exploitation and abuse caused by poverty.

She added that it would also increase their self-esteem, ability to make their own decisions, and right to influence positive changes for themselves, in their families, their communities and the society at large.

Also speaking at the event, NAYA’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Stephanie Eremutha said that the beneficiaries would in-turn train other vulnerable girls in the community in the form of giving-back to their communities.

The traditional Leader of Gbazango-Kubwa, Alhaji Jibrin Mohammed thanked NAYA and Voice -OXFAM for choosing Gbazango Kubwa out of many communities to implement the project.

Mohammed believed that the intervention would not only reduce vulnerability to financially-instigated gender-based violence but would lift-out the beneficiaries from abject poverty.

Also, the District Health of Mpape, Alhaji Musa Pada, who commended the donors of the project, promised to ensure that the joint business hub was monitored and sustained.

NAYA collaborators on the project including community leaders, Bwari Area Council Education and Social welfare Department officials and master-trades men/women in both slums provide ongoing monitoring and mentoring to the right-holders in their joint business hubs.

The right-holders were issued certificates and start-up kits as well as payment of premises secured for the hub to help address challenges of starting new businesses in Nigeria and encourage financial independence, self-reliance and economic empowerment.