In line with Rotary International’s designation of October as Economic and Community Development Month, the Rotary Club of Asokoro has empowered over 70 women in Dakwo, a community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The initiative, tagged Project Bloom and themed “Community Empowerment for Sustainable Development”, featured skills acquisition training for 60 women, the distribution of 20 starter packs, and four grinding machines to enhance income generation.
Speaking at the event on Saturday, President of the Rotary Club of Asokoro, Rotarian Chinagorom Onuorah said the essence of the empowerment programme was to ensure self-reliance for women through entrepreneurship. She explained that it was designed to uplift less-privileged women through practical skills in soap and detergent production, baking, and other crafts that can help them support their families.
She added that the four grinding machines and 20 starter packs distributed to beneficiaries were meant to “teach them how to fish” for lasting empowerment rather than merely giving them fish.
“We felt that women are mostly the ones suffering in any family, in any society. So we thought it wise to come and give the less-educated women skill acquisition,” Onuorah said.
Also speaking, the Rotary Club Facilitator, Rotarian Florence Beke said the club values entrepreneurship and finds it more sustainable than just being in business.
She explained that this prompted the organisation to carry out extensive sensitisation before the training to align participants with skills matching their interests. This, according to her, would boost local enterprise and also foster longevity.
On her part, the Women Leader of Dakwo community, Gloria Ajoro expressed gratitude to the Rotary Club for the gesture, assuring that she would use her position to drive continuity.
The retired civil servant, however, appealed to the government to provide a secondary school to serve indigenes and residents of Dakwo community, saying it was long overdue.
