NGO empowers over 500 women and children with skills and vocational training

A non-governmental organisation called Dignified Youth Development Initiative Incorporation (DYDII) has equipped over 500 women and children with various skills and vocational training, such as photography, videography, graphic design, fashion design, and catering to help vulnerable women and children reach their full potential and realise their life goals.

Speaking at the opening of the two-day youth and women’s summer empowerment, DYDII director and visionary Professor Bola Adeniyi said the empowerment was born out of the need to restore and heal Nigeria’s impoverished and heartbroken while offering vulnerable households both short-term and long-term socioeconomic support.

She declared that DYDII had given out over 34 scholarships to orphans and vulnerable children to save at least some of the increasing population of vulnerable children daily seeking help to achieve their potential and life aspirations.

“God has indeed assisted us in saving the lives of several people, including some orphans. One of our sponsored elementary school orphans is a chartered accountant, while another attended law school.

“Since these young people are poor and unable to help themselves, we specifically target them. These are people whose destiny is glorious, but the devil is doing everything in his power to thwart it. All of them are now seeing images of respectable young people who recognise the need to assist others.”

Professor Adeniyi said with economic hardship in Nigeria, there is a terrible surge in the number of orphans and vulnerable children, urging every Nigerian to develop a mindset of helping somebody in need.

She went on to say that widows and other vulnerable women experience mental stress and financial and social devastation when they are neglected.

In order to close the wealth gap, Professor Adeniyi urged the government to combat corruption and implement policies that benefit the average citizen.

“The number of students who can obtain student loans should be increased by the government. In industrialised nations, people can take out loans, but they can also find work, making it easier to repay the debt when they finish their studies. Education finance is a big issue in our colleges, so the government should do more to help.”

Chaplain Abraham Adeoye, a trainer from the Eagle Wings Leadership Training Centre International, in his talk at the empowerment workshop, urged the youths to avoid negative peer pressure and manage their time well to be able to fulfil their destiny.

“The draw into cultism has shattered the futures of many young people. These days, there are various cult groups even in high school. They must also have good time management skills because time is a resource that all people have, and how they use it can make the difference between failure and success.

In response, Reverend Dr. Odunayo Adeniyi, the clergyman in charge of Truth and Grace Bible Church, said that inadequate parenting had made many children more vulnerable and called for government action to raise living standards in Nigeria and make sure the country stops being consuming and starts producing.

In order to recover exporting, he said, “We can do everything we can, but this one won’t happen until everyone is reoriented, especially the young ones, about the dignity of labour and not just looking for money.”