Health
Sightsavers Empowers 2,878 Women, Girls With Disabilities
By Justina Auta
Sightsavers Nigeria says it has empowered 2,878 adolescent girls and young women with disabilities in Kano and Lagos states through business education, entrepreneurship training and career development support.
The organisation said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the close-out of the Strengthening Access to Business Education and Inclusion for Women (SABI-Woman) project under the Girls Education and Skills Partnership.
The project was implemented in partnership with organisations of persons with disabilities, Project Enable Africa and the Kanawa Educational Foundation for the Disabled, alongside private sector partners and development institutions.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Joy Shuaibu, Country Director of Sightsavers Nigeria, said the initiative was designed to inspire adolescent girls with disabilities and equip women with sustainable livelihood skills.
“The education component seeks to give adolescent girls with disabilities a dream, so that they can become everything that they want to become.
“We selected schools with girls and adolescents with disabilities and brought together life coaches to inspire them and help them realise their full potential,” she said.
Shuaibu said the entrepreneurship component focused on business literacy, bookkeeping, product costing and connecting participants with manufacturers willing to supply products on credit for resale and profit generation.
“We linked them to producers and manufacturers like Unilever that were willing to give them goods that they could sell so that they can make profit.
“One of the things we sought to do is to ensure that adolescent girls and women with disabilities have a source of livelihood and proper education,” she added.
According to her, the impact of the project extended beyond direct beneficiaries to families and communities, while stigma remains one of the greatest barriers confronting persons with disabilities.
She said participants also received technical business management training and were linked to financial institutions to improve access to loans, grants and other opportunities for enterprise expansion.
Mrs Esther Bature, Country Advocacy Coordinator of Sightsavers Nigeria, said the project supported 1,512 young women with disabilities to build employability and entrepreneurship skills for economic independence.
She added that 1,366 adolescent girls with disabilities received life skills and career guidance, while 1,647 employees were trained on workplace disability inclusion and equal opportunity practices.
According to Bature, 217 life coaches were trained on disability inclusion to provide career guidance, while 202 technical and vocational education facilitators received support on inclusive teaching methods.
She further disclosed that 127 business advisors were trained to sustain enterprise growth, while 670 women received starter kits worth more than N40 million to support businesses.
According to her, beneficiaries have repaid 88 per cent of the starter-kit funds, demonstrating the sustainability and viability of disability-inclusive entrepreneurship and economic empowerment initiatives.
Dr Avuwa Oteri, representing the Gates Foundation, said the project demonstrated practical pathways for advancing women’s economic empowerment and disability inclusion through partnerships and community engagement.
“It has also shown the value of working across communities, institutions and systems to create lasting change,” Oteri said.
Mrs Nneka Ogbansiegbe, Education Specialist at UNICEF, called for stronger collaboration to advance disability inclusion and empowerment, particularly for children and young persons living with disabilities.
Mr Richard Grubb, Education Adviser at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), said the project demonstrated how inclusive systems could help girls and women realise their full potential.
A beneficiary, Miss Aisha Morenikeji-Ogunkoya, a visually impaired final-year student of Yaba College of Technology, recounted experiences of discrimination and encouraged persons with disabilities to maximise their potential.
Another beneficiary, Miss Aisha Usman, who is physically challenged, said the training improved her business management skills and enabled her to expand her henna business and economic opportunities.
The event featured panel discussions on disability inclusion and the presentation of awards to outstanding beneficiaries, individuals and institutions that contributed to the successful implementation of the project.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
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