INTELS empowers fresh batch of 40 women through WEPSS

INTELS Nigeria Limited, leading oil and gas Logistics Company, has completed the training of a fresh batch of 40 women under its Women Empowerment Programme Scheme Synergy (WEPSS).

WEPSS is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative established by INTELS in 2013 to empower 5,000 community women over a 20-year period through training in fashion design and tailoring. The beneficiaries are trained in two batches every year.

In seven years, no fewer than 1,400 women drawn from various communities across the country have benefited from the empowerment scheme.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony for beneficiaries of the 2020 Batch ‘A’ training held at the Federal Lighter Terminal, Onne Port, Rivers State recently, Michael Ndon, regional human resources manager, who represented the managing director of INTELS Nigeria Limited, said WEPSS was designed to make the beneficiaries ‘future employers’.

“This is one of our empowerment schemes for the communities around us. We realised that there was a need to empower the people to create future entrepreneurs,” he said.

While commending the trainers for their commitment despite the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic, Ndon urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the knowledge acquired in the course of their training.

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Nancy Freeborn, project manager for WEPPS, expressed satisfaction with the follow-up exercise carried out on trainees who have graduated from the scheme; many of whom she said are now engaged by reputable fashion houses.

“We are not just empowering them and throwing them out to the street, we check on them and they are doing very well out there. Anytime we go out for our follow up exercise, we come back with exciting stories,” she said.

Freeborn added that through WEPPS, INTELS is also reaching out to less privileged in the society.

“Very recently, we produced well over 13,000 pieces of face masks out of which 1,500 pieces went out to Onne Local Government Council to support them in the fight against virus and we handed this over to them during the handing over of the ultra modern market that was built for the community by INTELS. We also donated 558 garments to Badamia Association Home, a charity home. We are poised to deliver another 728 garment to the Port Harcourt Compassion Home,” she said.

A 28-year old Ruth James Imabong, Best Graduating Student of the WEPSS 2020 Batch ‘A’ training, expressed appreciation to INTELS for setting up the programme and ‘making the dreams of many women a reality’.

“Before coming here, I knew nothing about sewing but when I came, they started from the scratch, teaching us how to thread the machine and every other thing. I feel so excited and overwhelmed being the Best Graduating Student. I am going to advance the training and set up my own,” she said.

As the Best Graduating Student, Imabong was rewarded with start-up kits, which include an industrial sewing machine, chair, scissors, box of tailors and a measuring tape by the management of INTELS.