IITA trains 560 PWDs in Jigawa State on poultry farming

In an interview in Dutse on Tuesday IITA’s Training Officer, Mr Badamasi Muktar, said the empowerment programme for the PWDs was organised in collaboration with MasterCard Foundation.

Muktar said the training tagged: Innovative Youth (I-Youth), focused on PWDs, being one of the most vulnerable groups in the society.

“Nobody is giving attention or special attention to them (PWDs). This is why the programme is very considerate and thinking of how we can take these people off the streets,  how can we make them live dignified lives.

“However, with this initiative, the beneficiaries will be self-suffient, self-reliant and useful to themselves their respective communities and immediate families,” the training officer said.

He said that the training for the beneficiaries, which commenced on Feb. 24 in Dutse, Kiyawa, Birnin Kudu and Kila towns, would run for three weeks.

The official explained that poultry was chosen for the PWDs, being a business they could establish at the back of their houses with ease.

According to him, the beneficiaries will also be exposed to business aspect of poultry farming before the end of the training.

This, Muktar said was to enable the trainees manage their businesses effectively.

“After training them on how to rear poultry, we are also going to teach them the business aspect of the programme; this is to know how much they’re investing, what is the return on their investment.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman of Joined Network of Persons With Disabilities (JNPWD) in the Dutse, Sulaiman Muhammad, expressed gratitude to the organisers.

“We are really grateful to the organisers, they taught us how to rear both local and hydrid chickens, as well as how to look for markets or customers for our products.

“We are happy because competent resource persons taught us all these, and they took care of all our needs as PWDs,” Muhammad said.

Also, the JNPWD Chairman in the state, Adamu Shuaibu, said that the training would have a positive impact on the lives of the participants and the agricultural sector in the state.

Shuaibu said that the gesture would go a long in making the beneficiaries become self-sufficient and contribute to the development of their communities.

The chairman appealed to other state governments and coporate organisations to emulate the gesture.

Shuaibu added that the initiative would reduce street begging among persons with disabilities in the state.

NAN / Foluke Ibitomi