A non-governmental organisation, Hercode, has trained women at the Dirumi Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp, Abuja as part of efforts to advance Sustainable Development Goal 5, which focuses on achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls.
The beneficiaries were trained in liquid soap making, perfume production, disinfectant preparation, and other basic skills aimed at improving their livelihood.
Founder of the Hercode Technology Initiative, Dr. Ada Oluchi Uformadu, said the training was designed to empower the women and enhance their financial independence..
Uformadu explained that the programme, held under the Hercode EmpowerHer project, “aims to equip women with practical skills that enhance productivity and economic value.”
She said that the initiative was implemented under SDG 5 of the United Nations, which focuses on empowering women and girls.
“Today, we are here with the Hercode Technology Initiative EmpowerHer to empower women in this IDP camp with entrepreneurial skills and teach them how to be productive. We want to teach them how to fish. We are confident that after this programme, they will not just remain in the camp, but will gain value and contribute to economic growth,” she said.
She also commended the participants for their enthusiasm.
“The participants are active and willing to learn. The room is full, and they are eager to take advantage of this opportunity. In their vulnerable state, we understand their situation, and that is why we are here—compassionate and ready to empower them and help facilitate their movement out of poverty,” she added.
Coordinator of the Dirumi IDP Camp, Idriss Halilu, urged well-meaning Nigerians and NGOs to emulate the EmpowerHer initiative, noting that the organisation had set a strong example.
“Give a man a load of rice and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for life. By this training, I can assure you that the trainees will train others. It is a life-giving initiative,” he said.
Halilu also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urge humanitarian agencies to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
Beneficiaries of the training expressed optimism that the skills acquired would have a positive impact on their lives.
One of them, Fatima Abubakar, said she had been in the camp for more than ten years without receiving any form of vocational training.
She noted that learning soap making would help support her family.
“I learned something today. I’ve been here for almost 10 years; nobody has trained me in anything that will bring me money. From this, I’ll make money to solve my problems,” she said.
Participants were later presented with certificates of participation by the Hercode Technology Initiative EmpowerHer