From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
A Kaduna-based non-profit, Speak4Life Cancer Prevention Initiative, has disbursed empowerment support items to small-scale business women in Kaduna to boost their productivity.
Founder, Speak4Life, Ms Malextive Mimi Abeeikyaa, said the gesture was a part of her organisation’s empowerment programme for women who are into small businesses in the pilot local governments in the State.
“This empowerment is unique from what we have around because we don’t just have these people here. These are women that are already doing one thing or the other to help their economy.
“We went to their shops and homes without their prior knowledge because we are not looking for those who are doing nothing. We know that Nigerian women are industrious and can turn things around. Some of them need just a little push and before you know it, they are up there
“So, we are going to give that little push to about 50 of them with our support and we will monitor their progress”, she said.
Earlier, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Speak4Life, Mr Geoffrey Broderick said, “we are disbursing empowerment support items to carefully selected beneficiaries from Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Chikun, Zaria and Giwa local government areas of Kaduna State.
“Last year, we trained and empowered some women from these local government areas who were expected to bring two new women to also benefit from our intervention.
*As an M&E officer, I have painstakingly traced the beneficiaries to their offices and houses just to be sure we have the right people. Some of them operate from home while some have shops.
“What they are getting may not be that much but the idea is to seeing them growing in what they are doing to enable them to help themselves and possibly members of their immediate family and don’t forget that little things count.
“To ensure continuity, as a part of the programme, we encourage daily savings no matter how small because we believe that is going to help their self-reliance drive as microeconomic contributors.
“Some of them are into poultry, baking, shoe-making, beauty salon, fashion designers, provisions among others”.
One of the beneficiaries who is a shoemaker, Miss Stephen Boro Comfort promised to grow her business with the items given to her.
“I am presently pairing a shop with a friend. With what they are giving me, I will be fine henceforth. I thank them because they have helped fast tracked realisation of my dream of having startup capital after acquiring the shoemaking skills,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Hauwa Umaru who trades in poultry said, “when they came to me, I thought they were those people that scam people. But, I suspend my fear because they did not ask me to bring money. Now we are here to pick some items including feeds and water cans. I’m grateful”.
Also speaking, a fashion designer, Mrs Bunmi Johnson, said, “someone just came to my shop a few weeks ago and told me there would be a financial literacy training here and that was how I got to know about this. I thank them for this sowing machine and other sowing materials”.
Sarkin Kabala Doki, Danlami Bawa, however, urged the beneficiaries to count themselves lucky and make judicious use of the items given to them with the intention to grow from where the organisation met them.
