Written by Olu Benjamin
A group, Youths for Peace Building and Development in Africa (YOUPEDA) has carried out an empowerment programme for 25 women farmers drawn from Ara and Sabongari communities of Nasarawa State on Thursday.
The Empowerment programme is under the group’s Women Savings Credit Cooperative and Farming Empowerment (WOSACCOFEM) project targeting poor women and girls with low income from the communities in Karu local government area of the state.
Speaking on the empowerment, Mr Obi Onyeigwe the project coordinator World Faith/ YOUPEDA WOSACCOFEM project said the 25 women and girls empowered were carefully selected from the two communities due to their status.
He further explained that both Christian and Muslim women, children and youths have also been beneficiaries of the WOSACCOFEM project in other various communities across the state.
Obi emphasized that hs group has able to turn around lives of over 50 rural women especially widows, youths and children that have been trained, engaged and empowered in the state.
He explained that some of the benefits of the programme includes economic empowerment, livelihood support, Education support for the children and continuous access to World Faith/ YOUPEDA sustainable support system for both previous and present beneficiaries.
“Moreso, there are other ways that the programme has been beneficial to both the individual and the community which include communal giving exercise, interfaith Dialogue, religious understanding and tolerance.
“It has created among different faith groups involve in farming programme.
“You can imagine the level of understanding among Christian and Muslim women and their families, because we have brought them together for purpose of Peace connection that enables them live better and have resilience for co-existence” He said.
Mr Obi also said that women, who pass through the programme were trained and mentored to commence small scale businesses on their own with proceeds from their general farm harvest.
In Similar vein, he added that the educational campaign of the YOUPEDA/World Faith project also carried school sensitization to Senior Secondary School Students of Victory Kiddies Academy in the state.
“The school campaign focused on Tolerance and Understanding among students of Different faiths and was attended by the Schools Principal and staff
Chief Danlandi Amos, the Community Head of Ara Community commended the group for the gesture but reiterated the need to include Drugs Abuses, Crime and Street Gangsterism in future programmes for young people both those in school and out of school.
The beneficiaries expressed their firm support for World Faith/YOUPEDA in their communities and also called upon the group to support more widows and young people who have been traumatized as a result of conflicts and religious crisis.
They also decried the state of bad road and insecurity for the women who carry out farming exercises and therefore asked YOUPEDA/World Faith to consider more remote communities in this type of interventions.