WEIN stresses skills training, education to enable women, youths access positive change

A Bauchi State office of an NGO, ‘Women Empowerment Initiative’ (WEIN) has stressed that skills training and education provide women and youths with access to livelihood and the basis for positive change and transformation in the communities.

The NGO also called on the Government and relevant organisations to encourage skills development for women and youths in order to be able to access resources for becoming self-reliant and employers of labor.

Executive Director of WEIN, Mrs. Hajaratu Pisagih stated this at the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Wednesday in Bauchi saying that, “Once women and youths are empowered with skills, they can become innovative in their thoughts and understanding towards developing self and surroundings.”

Hajaratu Pisagih added that “The training of rural women and youths can lead to economic empowerment as they are trained on how to effectively manage resources and tapping into the opportunities. In order to create a value generation on a micro household level and a macro societal level.”

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The Executive Director, however, lamented that sustainability of rural women and livelihoods is being threatened by limited skills on how to effectively execute business decisions to improve household income.

She also added that they lack access to credit facilities, entrepreneurial education and training, effects of climate change, and limited use of technology to stimulate rural women’s livelihoods opining that to achieve economic empowerment through resilient, youths and rural women’s livelihoods must be guaranteed.

“Access to competitive markets and entrepreneurial education supported by adequate funding is fundamental,” she said

She further stressed that one of the avenues to empower the youth and rural women is through interventions for sustainable livelihoods, “Women and youth play a key role in rural livelihoods for household food security and income generation,” Pisagih said.

She, however, Commended other partners as the Livelihood and Nutrition Empowerment Project, (OXFAM LINE), Northern Education Initiative Plus (NEI+), Mennonite Economic Development Association, UNICEF, RUWASA, and WaterAid Nigeria for giving it the opportunity to implement interventions in the state.

Head of Program of Development Exchange Center (DEC), Mr. Samuel B Yelmison in his paper presentation called on Government, NGOs, Community Based Organisations and Faith-based Organisations to encourage women and youths to take charge of their lives.

He said that by taking the action would improve their access to resources and transformation of their consciousness through their beliefs and values and Stressed the need for Continuous training and retraining of women and youth at all levels.