Xploits Consulting Limited, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) has empowered 150 residents across three Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in various skills to help cushion the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s Communication’s Director Mrs. Grace Taiwo, said the empowerment programme which included soap, beads and makeup training sessions was organised with the sponsorship of Access Bank, as part of efforts to ensure that people in rural communities have skills to fall back on to make extra income.
Taiwo during the training of about 50 of the beneficiaries in Kuje Area Council yesterday, noted that many people are still suffering the difficulties brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
She said, “A lot of things happened during the COVID-19 lockdown and we discovered that people were out of jobs while very few people had skills that they were benefiting from and that was what motivate the to reach out in training men and women that are interested in making extra income for themselves and families.
“The motivation is for us to see people use their hands to create wealth and depends less on the government. We covered three area council in FCT, Bwari, Kwali and Kuje. Where we trained them in multi-purpose soap making, beads making and makeup and gele. You can see that it is not limited to women but men who are interested are also beneficiaries.”
She explained that the training was extended to men as well because they are the bread winners in most homes and many of them were affected in their work places during the lockdown adding that what they are training them have no respect for gender because people are now looking for means of survival in a legitimate way.
Mrs. Taiwo said they continue to followup the participants in monitoring and evaluation to make sure that they continue with what they have learnt and also train others within their communities.
One of the facilitators makeup, Esther Ibrahim said, this training becomes necessary because the Nigeria we are now, no one can survive on just one salary job but a skill or additional side business to make extra income.
She said people need to be encouraged into having a handwork that will help generate income to support their families adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has made many realised that white collar jobs cannot help totally.
A participant Philip Bitrus, expressed satisfaction on the training especially as men also benefitted, noting that most times it is only women that benefit from such empowerment programmes.
“Today we are saying that what women can do, men can do better.”
“We are happy that men are included and we don’t want to give gap we want to stay with women and learn the same work that tomorrow in our own home and houses if our women are not available we can equally do the same thing that they are expected to do. We can also produce and sell when our women are not around so that the business can keep growing.”
He recalled all the suffering during the COVID-19 lockdown, saying if they had been empowered this way it would have helped a lot.
He advised the government to double their efforts in joining private organisations and NGOs in training people in different areas of skills acquisitions for income generation.
Each participant was given starter tools in their different area of skills.
