Twenty-five persons with disabilities, drawn from the 25 local government areas of Delta State, have been empowered with starter packs by the state government, to run their own enterprises.
The beneficiaries included two visually impaired, seven hearing impaired, 10 physically challenged, five with spinal cord injury and one ex-leper, totalling 11 females and fourteen males
They were enrolled into the state government’s 2020/2021 cycle of the Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (Brown-STEP).
They had undergone training in vocational skills on their own such as in Hairdressing and Braiding; PoP, Screed-Making and Painting; Fashion Design and Tailoring; Welding and Fabrication, and in Production of Cleaning Agents.
In a brief ceremony to hand out the starter packs to them, Peter Okocha, director of rehabilitation in the ministry of women affairs, community and social development, urged them to put their starter packs into good use.
He said their enrolment into the job creation programme is a clear testimony of the all-inclusive leadership style of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the state governor.
Read also: Delta State job agency qualifies 96 vocational trainees for starter packs
He explained that PwDs have always been included in the scheme of things in the state since the inception of the present administration, adding that the objective of establishing them with starter packs was to reduce poverty.
Some of the beneficiaries interviewed could not hide their joy over the empowerment exercise. Augustine Juwe (Aniocha North) in Fashion Design and Tailoring lauded the State Government for coming to his aid after three years of apprenticeship and joblessness.
“I thank the Governor and his government for their love for PwDs. He has always carried us along since he came on board. I was excited when I saw the full package starter pack.
“Those of us who beg for money on the street will stop and engage themselves meaningfully. With my starter pack and ₦100,000 shop rent, I can now open a shop, earn a legitimate livelihood, and be of help to others,” he enthused.
In the same vein, 25-year-old Tosan Davids (Warri South) enrolled in Hairdressing and Braiding expressed satisfaction with the nomination in tears.
Hear her, “I am very happy because this is my dream. I have been worried about how I would get money to establish myself. Now, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has done it for me. With my starter pack, I can fend for myself; I will no longer be hungry.”
