Paul Orude, Bauchi
A Bauchi-based nongovernmental organisation, Rahama Women Development Programme, says it has trained and provided soft loans to about 18, 000 women across four states of the North East region.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the organisation, Mallam Mohammed Inuwa Bello, disclosed this during the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of Rahama, in Bauchi.
Bello said disbursements of loans to beneficiaries was preceded by training on financial management to equip the women with basic skills required in running businesses at the grassroots level.
“We trained over 15 thousand women in Bauchi, Alkaleri, Tafawa Balewa, Katagum, Darazo, Zaki, Dass, Misau and Bogoro LGAS in Bauchi state while we equally extended similar support to about three thousand women in neighbouring Adamawa, Gombe and Plateau states in the past 6 years, ” Inuwa Bello added.
According to him, beneficiaries of Rahama loans scheme acquired skills in trades such as sewing, knitting, spaghetti making and production of local packaged food and were later supported with machines for their businesses.
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Also speaking, the Executive Director of Rahama , Mrs. Miriam Iliya, said under the health component of her group about 480 community based health volunteers (CBHVs)were trained to carry out household councelling on family planning, reproductive health as well as maternal and neonatal child health care in Alkaleri, Kirfi and Itas/Gadau councils.
“With funding from USAID/TShip Project, the CBHVS were trained on basic knowledge of care for pregnant women, recognition of danger signs birth preparedness, prevention of Malaria in pregnancy as well as prevention and treatment of basic household illnesses,” Mrs Iliya explained.
On HIV/AIDS, Mrs Miriam Iliya disclosed that her group (Rahama) paid school fees for 104 children for one year and provided them with scholastic materials just as it equally carried out malaria test and de-worming exercise for 96 other vulnerable children.
In his remark, the Chairman of the newly inaugurated Board of Trustees, Mr. Abdon Dala Gin, who is also the immediate past Head of Service of Bauchi State, expressed satisfaction with the laudable objective of Rahama Women Development Programme which focused on the vulnerable group including women and children.
Mr. Abdon Gin hailed Rahama for providing services to humanity assuring that the Board of Trustees which he heads will add value to the activities of the group in Bauchi State and beyond.