Forty six teenagers last week celebrated their financial independence after six months of rigorous mentoring and free vocational training in diverse crafts courtesy of the Human of Substance Empowerment Initiative (HOSEI), a non-governmental organisation which focuses on empowering youths and women as a means of developing the community.
The teenagers were part of the 100 given scholarship for vocational training six months ago by HOSEI as part of the annual empowerment programme of the organisation but out of the 100 chosen out of thousands that came for the seminar, only 80 started the training and the 46 were those that successfully completed training.
The youths couldn’t hide their enthusiasm and appreciation of the opportunity given to them as they celebrated their benefactor and founder of HOSEI, Mrs Olawanle Abiola, their trainers, mentors and parents at the graduation ceremony held at the Nigerian Bar Association, Afe Babalola Bar Centre in Ibadan.
The empowerment was in line with the vision of the founder of HOSEI that in order to reduce the number of youths that are vulnerable to peer pressure and crime, everyone must have a way of making ends meet.
Speaking on the programme, Abiade stated that, “we started six years ago and we thank God for how far we have come. We are happy that HOSEI has been able to touch the lives of hundreds of youths and give them financial independence with the help of good people who opened their businesses and sacrificed time and efforts to push this dream. We are getting better by the year and we intend to do more.
“It is my belief that if we allow these young ones to move around aimlessly while awaiting admission, we will make them vulnerable to cyber crime, prostitution and other vices. We want them empowered so they can be financially independent to shun vices,” she stated.
Indeed, the adage which says that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop was put to shame as the 46 teenagers that seven months ago had no known skills, now have the required skill to stand on their own and become employers of labour. It was a day of joy to parents of the outgoing set and the new ones who recognised the opportunity as one that could lessen the financial burden of school fees as their children now had skills to augment what they give them.
For the outgoing beneficiaries, it was a set that had undergone rigorous physiological, emotional and indepth vocational training to give independent teenagers whose already have the rough edges of their lives polished.
Abiade’s vision is to give as many youths as possible a chance not only to dream but to also pursue their dream and rewrite their own stories in a way that will set them on the path of independence.
HOSEI further gives youths improved access to resources and transformed their consciousness, beliefs, values, and attitudes with the “I can and I will” attitude which allowed those that could not stand up for themselves develop confidence to stand tall.
For these young people, it is a journey on a new path to a new life.
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