By Perpetua Onuegbu
The Feminist Coalition, a women’s rights organisation, said it has launched a farming initiative to empower low income women across Nigeria.
Miss Damilola Odufuwa, Co-founder, the feminist Coalition, made this known in a the statement she signed and made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
According to her, this is in continuation of an earlier programme by the coalition.
“In June 2022, the feminist coalition began the pilot program of the farming initiative in collaboration with Amo Farms Sieberer Hatchery Ltd, a Nigerian poultry company that created the Noiler Chicken.
“The aim is to provide low-income women, a majority of whom are single mothers and widows, with resources to start a poultry business which would then provide food and income for their families.
“At the start of the pilot, each beneficiary received twenty chicks, some for rearing for sale and others for consumption, while using part of their revenue to purchase more noiler chicks.
“Six months into the initiative, the beneficiaries are beginning to see profits from the sales of their chickens and following this success, the coalition will be adding more women to the program,’’ she said.
Miss Laila Johnson-Salami, founding member of the coalition said, the noiler chicken was a dual-purpose chicken breed that produces four times more eggs and three times more meat than other chicken breeds native to Nigeria.
“Amo Farms developed this breed to address issues of infant and maternal mortality, food insecurity and hunger, especially among women and children.
“With poverty and food insecurity on the rise in Nigeria, rearing noilers can provide families with more stability.”
“According to the World Bank, 95.1 million Nigerians live in extreme poverty — surviving on less than 1.90 dollars and N1,200 daily, whilst another 25 per cent are vulnerable.
“The IMF goes on to say that women constitute over 60 per cent of the poorest people in Nigeria, translating to over 57 million women living in extreme poverty.
“Women also make up 57 per cent of the 33 per cent of Nigerians that are unemployed, according to Nigeria’s Bureau of Statistics.
Odufuwa speaking on the importance of the initiative said now more than ever, affordable and accessible food is important.
Adding that the consequences, of hunger were more on women and children, with many low-income mothers who were also primary caregivers, currently fighting to protect their kids from malnutrition.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first project of the coalition, Girls Education Programme launched in September 2021, is still ongoing with the annual full scholarship and mentorship.
The programme is targeted at brilliant young girls from low-income backgrounds in Nigeria, whose largest barrier to a quality education is financial.
NAN also reports that the scholarship not only includes full tuition payments, but also covers the boarding house fees, co-curricular activities, examination fees and other necessary school requirements and logistics.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)