By Leonard Okachie
The Abia State Project Coordinating Office of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises, Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), has trained some of its beneficiaries on Gender Action Learning System (GALS).
Participants comprising unemployed youths and women headed households were trained at the project’s headquarters in Umuahia on Saturday.
The State Rural Institution Youth and Gender Officer, Mr Anthony Nwaobilor, said it was a step down training organised for those set of trainees (incubatees) who were expected to receive LIFE-ND empowerment.
He said that the 50 participants were drawn from the participating communities in Ohafia, Bende, Umuahia South and Isiala Ngwa North Local government areas.
Nwaobilor said that the beneficiaries were engaged in the selected commodities, including poultry, rice production, cassava production as well as oil palm processing and marketing.
He explained that GALS is a community-led empowerment methodology using specific participatory processes and diagram tools that aims to give women as well as youths more control over their lives and activities.
Nwaobilor emphasised that the training aimed at enabling participants to recognise gender injustice as an obstacle to their shared visions for a better life.
He said: “Through GALS, the beneficiaries will be able to have a vision as well as steps towards achieving it.
“It is a transformational approach towards achieving their goals.
“They are facilitated to learn and draw individual vision road journey with achievable targets and road map to move towards their visions.
“It is based on analysis of their current situation, past achievements, opportunities and challenges.”
According to him, it is the underlying change frame work that allows the participants to visualise and in diagrams draw what they would like to achieve in a given timeline.
A participant, Mr Peter Okorie, from Uzuakoli, expressed happiness that he learnt so much about having vision in business and life.
Another participant, Miss Ifeanyi Ndukwe from Okagwe Ohafia said she was greatly inspired by the training on gender to believe that “whatever men can do, ladies can do better.”
She said that she equally motivated to have a bigger vision of set up a big oil processing firm.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LIFE-ND is being funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
It is in collaboration with the Federal Government and Niger Delta Development Commission as well as the Abia state government.
The project, which is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision for national food security, is for implementation in the nine Niger Delta states. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
