Sightsaver partners Unilever, GBF to empower Lagos women with disabilities

On Nov 24, 2024

An NGO, Sightsavers, has partnered with Unilever Nigeria Plc and Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF) to empower 70 women with disabilities with N4.7 million in Lagos.

The initiative was sponsored under the SightSavers’ Strengthening Access to Business Education and Inclusion (SABI) Woman’’ project, targeted at young girls and women with disabilities.

The project is aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship, boosting employability, and advocating inclusion in the country’s financial sector.

Ms Anita Kevin, Programme Officer, Girls Educational Skills Partnership/SABI Woman, SightSavers, said that the project was geared towards developing the business skills of women with disabilities

Kevin said that the NGO was supporting each of the beneficiaries with Unilever products worth 60,000, totaling N4.7 million, under the SHAKTI programme of Unilever.

“We planned to train 100 women with disabilities in Lagos, and we have reached the 100, but having screened them, we got 70 who are ready to have access to the business skills.

“We are given each of the 70 women a business basket worth N60,000 to start a business or add it to their existing businesses,” she said.

According to her, women with disabilities in Lagos were targeted for the initiative because Lagos is the second most populated state in Nigeria, having also catered for their counterparts in Kano few days ago.

She said that the rate of unemployment within the disabilities’ community in Lagos, as well as the marginalisation of women in the disabilities space were high.

Kevin said that the pilot scheme would have a second run by 2025, targeting 300 to 500 women with disabilities.

She said that the beneficiaries undertook a four-day training with Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to understand how to run a business, customer relations, digital marketing and keeping sales record.

The programme officer said that to achieve success and sustain the project, the NGO collaborated with GBF, which has Retail Sales Representatives (RSPs) that will be in charge of monitoring the progress of the beneficiaries.

“The RSPs will track the record and progress of the beneficiaries’ business on weekly basis, make sure that the women keep the right sales record, and also restock their products when need be,” she said.

According to her, the beneficiaries are expected to repay the N60,000 seed fund when they start making sales at an instalment of N3000 weekly for 20 weeks.

Mr Ehis Goodluck, Project Manager, SHAKTI Initiative of Unilever, said that the SHAKTI programme was meant for women living in the rural and suburban communities.

Goodluck said Unilever extended the programme to the women living with disabilities through the partnership with SightSavers.

Also, Mr Jubril Yusuf, Project Manger, GBF, said that the foundation, as an implementing partner of the project, would ensure that it is implemented successfully.

Yusuf said: “we began this by verifying the list of women submitted by Sightsavers to ensure that they fall within the age bracket of the beneficiary.

“We ensure that the women are being supplied the products through the RSPs at the comfort of their homes, ” he said.

Responding, Ms Christiana Olowolagba, a beneficiary, appreciated Sightsavers and Unilever for the support, noting that she has been looking for such opportunity over the years.

“I am surprised that such opportunity has been existing for 10 years now. PWDs have been looking for such, especially because we are getting the product directly from the company at company price.

“They have also made everything easy for us because the RSPs will be delivering the products for us at our door steps,” she said.

NAN/Wumi