Women group trains 100 disable members on skills acquisition
NAN-HG-1
Skills
By Martha Agas
Jos, Nov. 16, 2016 (NAN) A women group, Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI), has trained 100 women with disabilities in Plateau on various skills to be self reliant.
The beneficiaries were trained on catering, tailoring, soap making and beads making, among others.
The State Coordinator of the group, Miss Esther Sunday, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Jos.
She said the group facilitated the training through self sourcing from its cooperative to reduce the hardship faced by the group who were doubled disadvantaged in life.
“We are not only vulnerable as women but double disadvantage because we are women and also disabled,’’ she said.
The coordinator said the group, which started operation in Plateau in 2010, seeks to empower women with disabilities through access to education, quality healthcare and skill acquisition, among others.
She implored the government, individuals and NGOs to assist the group through start up grants or facilities to help grandaunts start up their businesses and provision of mobility aids.
“These women have been trained on various skills to reduce their hardship but we do not have the resources to provide start up grants and facilities for them to start up their businesses. We solicit with Government, NGOs and individuals to come to our aid.
“We also implore government to make special provision for women with disabilities in its employment opportunities and access to micro credit facilities; this will give us a sense of inclusiveness in the society,’’ she said.
NAN also reports that AWWDI, founded in 2009, is focusing on six main categories of disability among women.
They are women who are deaf, blind, physical disabilities, women affected by leprosy, women with HIV/AIDS and women with Obstetric Fistula (OF). (NAN)
MAA/MST/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola