Civil defence wives empower 50 women on revenue generating skills
No fewer than 50 women in Enugu have been empowered with revenue generating skills by the Civil Defence Officers’ Wives Association (CDOWA).
Distributing starter packs to the empowered women in Enugu, the Chairperson of CDOWA Enugu State Command, Dr Josephine Willie, said that the empowerment would transform families in Enugu especially wives of serving personnel.
Willie noted that women empowerment would always impact much on their families, communities and society at large, adding: “CDOWA move today will ensure better family earnings and financial stability”.
She said that within one year of inauguration of CDOWA in Enugu, the association had carried out numerous medical outreaches that touched communities in Enugu.
According to her, CDOWA Enugu State Command has done back to school initiatives to support pupils and students of various schools as well as supported widows and widowers of the command financially.
She said, “Empowerment of women have lots of benefits, which included: increased household income, more women inclusion, better family feeding and welfare as well as uplift of community living standards,.
“I must appreciate the National President of CDOWA, Hajia Aisha Audi, for supporting CDOWA Enugu State for making the empowerment possible as well as the commandant and personnel of NSCDC Enugu State Command for their support.”
In an address, Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Enugu State Command, Dr Elijah Willie, said that when women are properly placed, the society would witness positive transformation from the family level upwards.
The commandant said, “I am happy with the growth and achievements of CDOWA in Enugu State within a year.
“The role of women remain crucial in the society and they needed to be supported and empowered to bring out the best for family, community and societal growth.
“The command will continue to support CDOWA and her programmes and initiatives for a better society.
“I must appreciate Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA); Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA); and Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives (NAOWA) representatives for making it to the NSCDC Command and the event.”
In a lecture on the topic: “Women Take Charge of Your Health”, Dr Chinwe Nwankwo, counseled women to prioritise their health and well being beyond daily struggles.
Nwankwo, who is a Senior Registrar of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane in Enugu, urged women to create time to have adequate rest daily and reduce household chore stress as much as possible.
“I will want you to engage in daily exercise of about 30 minutes, always eat balance diet with lots of vegetables, fruits and water as well as do regular cervical cancer, sugar and blood pressure checkups among others,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries of the empowerment and its starter pack, Mrs Essien Henshaw, lauded CDOWA for the training and starter pack to ensure a successful enterprise would be made from the empowerment package.
“I will ensure that I build a viable enterprise from all I have learnt and use its proceeds to support my husband and family,” Henshaw said.
The revenue generating skills, which those empowered were trained on, included: perfume, air freshener, confectionery, bead making as well as modern farming practices and agro-allied produce processing and marketing.
The event, which featured end of the year get together for CDOWA members, included practical demonstration of how to produce perfume and liquid air freshener among others.
