By Daniel Tyokua
The Helpline Social Support Initiative has doled out food items, clothes and other items to widows and vulnerable women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking at the event, weekend, president of the Initiative, Dr Jumai Ahmadu, said the gesture which is in partnership with other donors is necessitated by the need to touch less privileged during the yuletide.
Ahmadu, who thanked partners, volunteers, family, and friends for standing by the Helpline Initiative in the last past 21 years, said the support has been instrumental, making it possible for positive on the society.
Some of the items distributed include: rice, salt, vegetable oil, wrappers and other condiments, to enable them have a memorable yuletide celebration.
The beneficiaries in their hundreds at the Helpline Initiative’s End of Year Outreach powered by its donors at the weekend, were empowered with entrepreneurial talk on improving their businesses and training in hat making (turban) , to help them become economically empowered members of their respective communities.
Ahmadu said: “Every act of kindness counts, and together, we’re creating lasting change in our community.
“At Helpline, we identified that the need to impact positively on people, and we always ensure that our partners are carried along in everything that we do.
“We bring them to help us teach the women entrepreneurial skills, which is what has resulted to all the products you have seen here.
“We are training and encouraging them to ensure that they are able to have their products to become what they can export, as the platform is already there to enable people earn foreign currencies, so as to contribute to our national growth.
“It doesn’t matter where they are right now, they have the capacity to do so, as all they need is the support.”
According to her, for the widows, apart from such outreach, the Initiative develop their skills, because it doesn’t believe in just giving them fish, but teach them how to fish, and that way they will be able to have a source of livelihood.
“We bring them out periodically for experts to talk to them on their mental health, because they are going through a lot.
“They need people that would be able to talk to them as often as possible to make them believe that they can make it.
“We need to encourage them to look after their children well, and you can only do that by giving them skills that will make them become empowered, self-sustained and the same time help the other widows that are vulnerable within their respective communities. And we have be doing that so far.
“We have the non profit revolving loan scheme. They become the monitors of those among them that have taken this loan, and by the end of the month, when they come together, you bring what was supposed to be your profit in form of contribution for next woman will take.
“And from a cluster of 20 women in Bwari, we have up to 200 of them since they started the loan scheme. This is one of our selling point, ane our strong project that have made these women as happy as they are today”,she stressed.
Speaking on behalf of other, a Cluster leader, Women of Progress in Bwari, Mrs. Ubah Terdoo, who described the Helpline outreach programme and loan scheme as an economic game changer, said it has boosted their petty businesses, thereby reducing their financial burden in the society.
“We were just 8 women when we started the initiative with Helpline in 2018, but now we are more than 200 women.
“From proceeds of entrepreneurial ventures ,we are able to pay school fees, accomodation and feed our families as well as boost our businesses.
“So, it is not every time we will be looking or beging for money to fend for themselves or their families. This has helped so much to reduce financial tension for us”, she stated.
