Succour may have come the way of victims of societal violence, as an advocacy group, Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), has commissioned a vocational training centre and makeshift home to rehabilitate survivors in Agege area of Lagos State.
   
While commissioning the building, the National Director, WELA, Mrs. Funmi Falana, said the makeshift shelter was built for victims of societal violence as well as people who have been disconnected from their homes, who need time to stay and get rehabilitated with their families and get proper accommodation for themselves.
   
According to her, WELA’s efforts in vocational training accomodate male and female genders. 
Falana said the vocational training will last for six months while the makeshift home will only accommodate people for three months. 
     
In the newly commissioned vocational training centre,  Falana named a room after the late Sylvester Oromoni Junior, a 12 year old student of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, who died on November 30, 2021.
   
She said the late Oromomi was a victim of societal violence.
Oromoni, a student of Dowen College, Lekki in Lagos, died mysteriously after he was  allegedly bullied and  poisoned with a substance.
 
“Oromoni died as a result of violence in the society so he is a victim of society and so we have decided to name one of the rooms after him,” she said.
 
The founder of WELA further said that, launching of the WELA home was done simultaneously with the fourth vocational training graduation ceremony.  
 
Falana stated that 30 students who benefitted from the different batches of training conducted in fashion design, hairdressing, make-up, cosmetics,shoemaking, photography catering, soap making and fish farming etc, graduated from the centre last year.
 
She added that 80 students graduated in the former place they were using before they launched the WELA home and that the organisation from next year will graduate 150 students who will be trained in two tranches of 75.
   
According to her, after graduation, the students will also be given the necessary equipment and capital to start their businesses.
 
She said that WELA has advanced to protect not only women’s and girls’ rights but now advocates for equal gender rights for everyone who has suffered abuse of any kind.

“We are not going to take anybody home for more than three months. Because while they are here for three months we will also train them to be able to get a skill they can use to earn a living.