A Non-governmental Organisation, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, (AHF), Nigeria, Thursday held a skills acquisition workshop and exhibition to empower women in Abuja.
The event which was an off-shoot of the International Women’s Day, (IWD) had the theme “Keep the promise”.
Addressing newsmen during the workshop, the State Nursing Coordinator of AHF-Nigeria, Abuja, Christie Awunor, said the Foundation wants to encourage women to contribute their quota in the development of society by being economically and financially independent from their husbands.
Christie explained that 150 women and 25 exhibitors were participants of the workshop.
She said “In the past, we have empowered more than one hundred women, including those in Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and Cross River States during event such as this. For next year’s International Women’s Day, we intend to move to another state, probably Akwa Ibom”.
The foundation’s Advocacy and Marketing Manager, Steve Aborisade, said there is need for Nigeria as a nation to “make a loud statement” and “stand by our women” hence the empowerment programme.
“We are also supporting the women financially, in order to encourage them” he stated.
He added that sanitary pads were distributed to encourage hygiene.
“We will continue to advocate for the betterment of the women folk. Beyond advocacy, we have to invest in our women and to always be there for them,” Aborisade said.
The exhibition had women displaying confectioners, beads, local spices, among others.
