By Pwanagba Agabus, Jos
For close to a decade, Irigwe chiefdom in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State has been battling with security challenges which has made many of the displaced persons lose their means of livelihood, while some cannot even continue with their educational pursuit.
Worried by their plight, a
Youth Corps member, Miss Elizabeth Paul, serving in the chiefdom took upon herself to train and empowered some young, and vulnerable girls in Internally Displaced Persons camp with sewing equipment to make them self reliant.
So, one can understand the excitement of the beneficiaries on efforts put in place by the Youth Corps member, supported by a Non Governmental Organisation, International Committee on Nigeria, to give them an opportunity to fend for themselves by providing them with sewing machines.
Speaking at the event, where the sewing machines were given to the eight beneficiaries, Miss Paul said she embarked on the project after listening to stories of the young girls who dropped out of school following crisis in their communities.
The Corp member who is the first to accept to serve in the chiefdom as a result of the unrest that had bedeviled the area, said she wanted to assist the beneficiaries put food on their table.
She said that the beneficiaries were largely young girls displaced by the series of the attacks in the community, adding that some of them lost their parents during the incidents.
She further said that the initiative was designed to empower the beneficiaries with skills and improve their livelihoods.
Paul also said that the beneficiaries were trained for six months in tailoring.
“I choose to embark on this project after listening to few stories of how these girls became school drop outs due to the tragedies that claimed the lives of their parents.
“The death of their parents made them drop out of school because there was no one to sponsor them to continue their academic journey.
“To enable them put food on their tables and engage in meaningful venture, I decided to share my tailoring knowledge with them.
“We are grateful to ICON, who provided these sewing machines and other items for the beneficiaries,” she said.
Paul thanked residents of the community for the support and cooperation accorded to her, particularly in her drive toward providing skills to their young girls.
Earlier, Mr Lawrence Zongo, said that his organisation supports vulnerable people, particularly youths to gain access to quality education and other means of livelihood.
He called on the government at all levels to initiate policies and programmes aimed at empowering vulnerable people in the society.
“Empowering these girls is not just a moral obligation, it is a legal responsibility under various international agreements
“By investing in education, vocational training and psychosocial support, we can transform lives and rebuild our communities.
“I call on government agencies, faith-based organisations and philanthropists to take immediate action.
“Authorities must fulfill their constitutional responsibility to provide adequate security and welfare for citizens, as outlined in Section 14 of the Nigerian Constitution.
“But we cannot afford to wait for bureaucratic processes to catch up with the sufferings of our people; scholarships, skill acquisition programmes and trauma support can restore hope and ensure no young person is left behind,” he said.
On his part, Mr Yavala Iliya, the Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps in the state, lauded Paul for the initiative.
Iliya, represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics of NYSC in the state, Mr Ishaku, he called on the beneficiaries to put the items into good use.
He also called on the residents of the community to patronise the young tailors to make their businesses thrive.
