Halimatu Sadiya Trust Fund (HSTF), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has trained 50 divorcees and widows on various skills to enable them become self-reliant.
Speaking to newsmen on Sunday, at the graduation ceremony of the women, Bashir Zakari, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HSTF, said the Organisation deliberately chose to support women, especially widows, divorcees, orphans and youths for a better society.
Zakari, who was represented by HSTF’s vice president, Hajara Zakari, said that the skills acquisition programme was aimed at promoting substantial development among the beneficiaries, to enable them earn money to support their families.
“We want a situation whereby divorcees and widows can be able to support their children in providing for their basic and essential life needs, so we organised this skills acquisition programme where they learnt skills for their financial sustainability.
“Today, we are graduating 50 women, 10 each from Rigasa, Unguwan Muazu, Tudun Wada, Kakuri and Askolaye communities in Kaduna, through their district heads and community leaders,” Zakari said.
According to Zakari, the choice of training and empowering divorcees was sequel to the observed high rate of divorce in the community and the hardship widows often faced in catering for their children.
“Women, especially the widows and divorcees, need to have money, and for them to have money, it is through skills acquisition where they learn skills and make money out of it for financial sustainability,” he said.
He said the women were taught how to make liquid soap and disinfectant, shampoo and conditioner, pomade, air freshener, organic oil and hair products, local ear rings, local noodles and snacks.
“These are the businesses that the women can do from the comfort of their homes to get financial support”, Zakari said.
He solicited for financial support from the government, private sector and well-meaning Nigerians to the HSTF, to enable them carry out more projects and activities for humanity.
Bilkisu Isah, one of the facilitators, who taught the women how to make organic oils and hair products, encouraged them to persevere in the business, saying that it would help support their homes, because they were products that almost every woman uses daily.
A beneficiary, Maryam Haroun, a divorcee, expressed happiness to have learnt a lot of things, adding “With what I have learnt, it can be a source of earning to other people in my community, I will give women gathered in occasions my local ear rings at a good price for them to sell and also gain a profit. I will also be selling in pieces at home”, she said.
Amina Muhammad, another beneficiary, a widow, thanked HSTF for the skills she acquired, saying that what she learnt would help her continue sponsoring her two children into secondary school.
“I learnt soap making, so I am going to produce soap to sell to my neighbours and Qur’anic school members, and have my own money. I will stop depending on others to feed and educate my two children”, she said.
The climax of the event was the presentation of certificates and assorted equipment and materials to the women based on the skills they acquired, to enable them kick-start their businesses.