By Rosemary Ameh, Sokoto
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), has trained 120 women and girls in Sokoto State in various vocational skills to promote self-reliance and economic empowerment.
Each beneficiary was also provided with N154,000 as startup capital to enable them to establish small businesses using the skills acquired during the training.
The beneficiaries were drawn from five local government areas of the state: Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Wamakko, Dange Shuni and Yabo.
The training covered perfume and fragrance production, beadmaking, beadwork and fashion design.
Expressing her appreciation to UNICEF for the empowerment initiative, one of the beneficiaries, Fatima Abdullahi, a former UNICEF staff member, thanked the organisation for providing them with an opportunity to become economically independent.
Abdullahi , who hails from Amanawa village in Dange Shuni Local Government Area, explained that she previously worked with UNICEF at the grassroots level, sensitising residents of remote communities on the importance of polio immunisation and the use of mosquito nets.
Another beneficiary from Dange Shuni, Hafsat Bello, pledged to share the knowledge she had acquired with other women to help them become self reliant.
“I intend to step down the training, and I promise to do so with a strong sense of responsibility because UNICEF has shown us that we can contribute our quota to our families through the income we will generate from these skills, ” she said.
Similarly, Idiat Shehu, a beneficiary from Wamakko Local Government Area, encouraged other women and girls to acquire vocational skills that could enable them to contribute to their families’ upkeep.
“My message to fellow women is for them to learn skills because they can use them to support their families instead of waiting for their husbands to provide everything,” she said.
Shehu added that women who contribute financially to their households could earn greater recognition and appreciation from their husbands and children.
“Sometimes, when you contribute to the family, you will be valued not only by your husband but also by your children. This is because you will not be seen as a liability,” she stated.
Shehu, who was also a UNICEF employee, expressed gratitude to the organisation for the opportunity, noting that although she was initially distressed when her employment ended, the vocational training and startup capital had renewed her hope for financial stability.
“While I was working with UNICEF, I had some income security. However, with these skills and the startup capital provided to us, I can confidently work towards financial stability and also share the knowledge I have gained with others who are willing to learn,” she said.
The initiative is expected to help the beneficiaries establish small scale businesses, improve their livelihoods and extend the benefits of the training to other women and girls within their communities.
*PHOTO CAPTION: A cross section of the beneficiaries.
