It was a period of reflection and jubilation last week for some former sex workers (FSWs) as they graduated and were given empowerment materials to kick start their trade after six months of rigorous training on diverse vocational skills and counselling after they were taken off the streets to learn a vocation and be self reliant.
The Galilee foundation, Ibadan, sponsored by US President’s Emerging Plan for AIDS Relief on its HIV/AIDS services through vocational skills training and empowerment among FSWs took about 50 sex workers off the street in Kara Market, Bodija, Ibadan.
The women who were trained in fashion designing, hair dressing, graphics design, catering, make up, patent medicine and those that enrolled for adult education at the University of Ibadan were all full of praises for the scheme, also got subvention to rent shops.
The Executive Director of Galilee Foundation, Dr Eigbadon Gregory, stated that those that enrolled for adult education had to divert to other vocations during the ASUU strike, adding that the scheme was in line with the foundation’s vision of impacting lives and transforming communities via strategic interventions and collaborative engagement of several cadres of actors.
Out of the 50 women that started the training, only 31 graduated and got startup business kits to start their individual businesses as many others dropped out during the six months journey.
Speaking on the scheme, Dr Eigbadon stated that what Galilee foundation did arose from its experience while counseling the women and the discovery that many of them will stop if given a chance to be financially independent, adding that “what actually started this was that we have a counseling unit and these girls are in the vicinity of our office, so we started talking to them as part of efforts to reach out and impact their lives.
“We reached out to the women and the younger girls; we started talking to them and discovered that many were tired of that life and were still in the business because they have no option, most of them don’t know what they are coming into until they got here. So we withdrew those that are willing from the street and taught the others about safe sex while trying to give them means of financial independence
“Most of them have actually stopped the sex business since they started this empowerment scheme because they are already tired of that life. They had minimum of six months training and we have counseled them to be able to stand on their own and we are giving them what they need today to start out as business owners so they can take in others too and train them, taking more out of the streets,” he stated.
However, Dr Eigbadon isn’t sure the scheme can continue as the sponsorship was just for a set. He stated that, “I can’t say if this will be a continuous process because we have a grant and it is a one-time sponsorship but if we have support we will continue. However, for this ones, we will be doing follow up and monitoring to ensure they are doing well so they don’t go back and for those that keep the flag flying, we will further do a larger form of empowerment to expand their businesses,” he added.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Community Matters, Josiah Olufemi, the head of NAPTIP in Oyo State, Akanaya M Augustine, the Oyo State Controller of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Festus Igbinosun, the coordinator of the Oyo State Sexual and Gender Based Violence Response Team, Dupe Awosemusi and the representative of the Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators in Nigeria, Oyo State chapter, Kenny Aiyeola, all expressed joy that the women are obviously keen to start a new life and promised to help in whatever way to ensure the women do not go on the streets again while calling on other well meaning Nigerians to lend a helping hand to such laudable causes.
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