NGO empowers 250 persons with entrepreneurial skills

A non-governmental organization, Empowering Destiny for Eternity Network Initiative (EDEN-I) has empowered 250 indigent residents of Ikorodu with entrepreneurial skills and free medical services

The training held at Old Winners Church, Ikorodu empowered participants with skills in snacks baking, soap making, zobo tropical drink and free health check of blood pressure and sugar level checks offered by Community Health officers of the State Government.

The Training Director of EDEN-I, Fatima Sanni said the need for people to be financially self-reliant and responsible for their families necessitated the decision to hold the training workshop.

Sanni noted that the set of skills selected for the workshop were determined by a research conducted by the NGO on its environs of the NGO which showed many people were idle, and poses higher percentage of social threats on the environment.

She explained: “We see it as a burden on us, seeing women and girls, men and boys all around idle, unengaged. We felt the need for them to be empowered with skills and health wise.

“Choice of skills is based on the concept of empowering people with skills that are less financially intensive. With a thousand naira, you can start a donought business, fish roll, zobo tropical drink. So they don’t need to break the bank to start business.”

She urged beneficiaries to put the skills in practice and build their dreams around it, noting that the biggest confectionery business owners of today all started small.

A beneficiary of the workshop, Taiwo Dada while commending the programme said she has been relieved of the cost of paying to acquire the skills she learned for free, saying she is confident of startingredients her own business.