Non-governmental Organisation, Pathfinder International in collaboration with Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) have trained children of Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) in Abuja on skills acquisition.
Nigerian Newssphere learnt that 40 participants in the Durumi, Area 1 IDPs camp went through 24-weeks intensive training on life building, personal hygiene, healthy hygiene, soap making, shoe-making skills.
Pathfinder International, Country Director, Dr Amina Dorayi speaking to journalists after the program tagged, ‘Empowered Choices Project’, Dissemination and Graduation ceremony, noted that the intervention is germane to enabling the participants get better life.
Dr Aminu, reiterated that interventions such as the ‘Empowered choices Project’ is crucial to achieving the mission, vision of Pathfinder international.
She explained that the program has availed participants with requisite skills-set to achieve their life’s dream if carefully harnessed.
“We believe that everyone, women, children, families in general in spite of where they live, have a right to strive and achieve their full potentials.
“We are here in collaboration with Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency(FERMA) to contribute our quota to the young people in this Internally Displaced Persons Camp.
“Why we decided that this will be a very important intervention is because we believe that when we catch then young, you are doing a lot of good. They depend on government interventions to live their full potentials.
“This intervention is called, ‘Empowered Choices’, if the Children do not have information to make decisions about their lives, if there are not empowered with knowledge, they will not be able to take critical decisions that will define their future.
“They went through series of lessons; trainings on goals setting, understanding puberty, personal hygiene, how to make santiry pads. You can hear that someone of them talked about what they want to be in the future; some said they what to be doctors, soldiers, Pilot, Engineers. it means they have dreams and potential. It is our dreams to make them achieve their potentials.
“Skills like soap making, shoe-making and others were also acquired by the participants, beckause knowledge is not enough, skills are very important.
“We hope that these skills will be used for the rest of life and also train others who required empowerment”, she said.
Earlier, Director General FCT Emergency Management Agency(FERMA), Abbas Idriss said,
“The impact of the skills acquisition is because it is critical to survival our contemporary society.
“We have concentrated on the vulnerable areas, we are in every areas councils in Abuja, anywhere there are IDPs we go there and give them skills acquisition, specially where we have collaboration like this with Organisations.
“Whenever we identify gaps, needs, we try the provide solutions. We try as much as possible to distribute our interventions across all IDPs”, he stated.
Abbas further urged parents to key into government’s free education scheme for IDPs.
“Already, 10124 pupils have been registered for free education scheme, I urged parents here whose children haven’t enrolled, to do and key into the program”, he said.
Public Relations Officer of Area 1 IDPs camp, Umar Gola, Women Leader, Liyatu Ayuba, parent of participants, Audu Buba and selected participants took their turns to applaud Pathfinder International for the intervention while calling on the government to do more in addressing their plights.