About 100 girls and women in rural communities of Delta State have been empowered with skills and training, to enhance their financial capacities.
The beneficiaries drawn from communities within Asaba and its environs were trained in production of household cleaning products and beauty products, with tips on how to survive in a digital economy.
The empowerment programme which took place at the Bethel Anglican Church, Uda Layout, Asaba, recently, was courtesy of HACEY, a non-governmental organisation in collaboration with Access Corporation.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the exercise, Bamidele Oyewumi, the programme Team Lead of HACEY, said that the programme tagged ‘Sustainable Empowerment’
was designed to enhance the financial capacity of women and girls in rural communities in Delta State.
‘”We focus on how to improve the health and productivity of women in the community.
“We are working with all stakeholders to ensure their healthy lives and financial stability and that is what we call the ‘Sustainable Empowerment Programme’
“Part of the things we are doing is to build their skills for them to make money and manage their funds.
The project is to ensure the empowerment of women for a sustainable future – a future where they are financially free, live fulfilled life, where they are included within their families and communities.
Milicent Ugwuah, acting branch manager, Asaba/Nnebisi Road Branch, representing Access Bank described women empowerment as key to nation’s building.
“Access Corporation collaborates with HACEY in empowering women because we know that women are pillars of the society. We have taught them ways of getting money and how to manage the fund to support their families. We are looking at people in the rural communities who do not have means of catering for themselves.
“For this location, we selected 100 women and girls, this is an empowerment/skills programme, where they were trained in five different skills,” she said.
“My advice to the beneficiaries is that they should be serious about the lessons they have learnt here. They have learnt about detergent, perfume, air freshener and soap production, among others. So, we are saying that they should take whatever they learnt and make it a practice in their lives.
“Nothing stops one from going from house to house to market one’s products if one doesn’t have a shop to sample them. Nobody will send you away because you came marketing your products. There’s no how you would not make profit at the end of the day and be able to put food on the table. I also encourage them to imbibe the culture of saving the money they make from their businesses,” she said.
