By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Aids for Women, Adolescents and Children International (AWACIO), a Nongovernmental organisation, in collaboration with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Wednesday, empowered 58 Anambra State residents with starter packs.
The trainees, who acquired skills on pastry and decoration, tailoring, cosmetics and saloon, barbing, phone repair, commercial grinding and tiling, were drawn from seven local government areas (LGAs) in Anambra Central Senatorial district such as Anaocha, Awka North, Awka South, Dunukofia, Njikoka, Idemili North and Idemili South.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chief Executive Officer, AWACIO, Dr Claudia Okeke, explained that the beneficiaries were selected from among the communities in the Senatorial zone with a view to fight poverty and joblessness, while empowering the youth to become employers of labour.
"This year 2023, AWACIO embarked on the journey to bring skill acquisition programme to Anambra State particularly, Anambra Central. We gathered over eighty interested men, women and youth. Based on our eligibility criteria, the number was reduced to seventy. Following our preliminary training and investigation, the number was further reduced to fifty-eight for a total of seven different skills.
" The fifty eight were consists of fifty active trainees and eight standby trainees who have been vigorously trained in one of the following skills for six weeks. Some skills like tailoring will proceed for even longer period. The skills presented for graduation are: pastry and decoration, tailoring, cosmetics and saloon, barbing, phone repair, commercial grinding and tiling," she stated.
The beneficiaries were presented with certificates and starter kits at graduation ceremony held at Enugu-Ukwu, Njikoka LGA. The starter packs were barbing kits, cosmetic kits, sewing machines, bakery ovens, tiling gears, commercial grinders, phone repair gears, to forge ahead into society with their newly acquired skills.
According to her, AWACIO would monitor the progress of all the graduands to ensure they utilise their skills to create impact economically within and outside Anambra State.
"We envision a shift in economic power as each trainee begins to make a difference, and is able to train others, spread the wealth, and alleviate poverty," she added.
Contributing, the Central Bank of Nigeria, through its representatives, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said they partnered the NGO because the programme was in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which centres on capacity building of people, providing essential training and fostering skill acquisition, thereby empowering beneficiaries and generating employment opportunities.
Earlier, the Traditional Ruler of Enugwu-Ukwu, Igwe Ralph Ekpeh, represented by a village Chairman, Mr Fabian Akpagu, thanked AWACIO for initiating the project, which according to him, would uplift the community, and urged them to sustain the tempo.