As part of activities to round off the 16 Days of Activism, the United Nations Women Spotlight Initiative has disbursed starter packs to 45 survivors of Gender-Based Violence, GBV and Vesico Vaginal Fistula, VVF, in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, south-south Nigeria.
The distribution of the empowerment kits was sequel to the successful training of the survivors in different vocational skills at the State-owned vocational training centre in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Calabar.
In a remark, the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, Programme Specialist in Reproductive Health, Dr Yakubu Aliyu said empowering the survivors with the requisite vocational skills and equipment was critical to their socio-economic integration.
Aliyu noted that economically, active women are greater decision makers in homes and communities as they positively impact on their family’s wellbeing.
He said, “I want to especially congratulate the 45 participants who are the first beneficiaries of this training programme that UNFPA is supporting the Ministry of Women Affairs to conduct with funding from the Spotlight Initiative. We hope that the knowledge and skills acquired will go a long way to enable you improve your life.”
Sensitizing rural communities
Also speaking, the wife of the Cross River governor, Dr. Linda Ayade commended donor partners especially UNFPA for their support to the survivors.
Ayade, who noted that in recent times more women and girls were being raped and killed globally, charged Civil Society Organizations, relevant government agencies to come to the rescue of survivor.
The governor’s wife also charged partners and stakeholders to collaborate and spread the message, which is in line with the theme “Orange The World: End Violence Against Women Now”, to rural communities.
She stated, “working together, we can do more to prevent domestic violence and make our homes places of safety, places of hope and places of peace and harmony. The call to action is for all of us to work together to reduce the number of GBV faced by women and girls in our society.”
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs, Dr. Gertrude Njar said the GBV and VVF survivors would be given starter kits ranging from different skills of aluminum fabrication, hat and bead making, make-up artistry, hair dressing and solar inverter utilization.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Eke Iwaya, appreciated Spotlight Initiative, UNFPA and the Ministry of Women Affairs for the opportunity given to them to be financially independent and future employers of labour.
Nnenna.O
