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NGO Empowers 82 Widows With Skills, Grants and Counseling
A non-governmental organisation, the Scarlet Cord Initiative, empowered 82 widows in Kachia Local Government Area of Southern Kaduna. The support included skills training, financial grants and trauma counseling.
The programme aimed to help the widows rebuild their lives after violent attacks claimed their husbands.
The Patron of the organisation, Professor Sunday Agang, said healing played a key role in recovery. He explained that trauma often prevents victims from planning their future. For this reason, the organisation offered free trauma counseling to all participants.
Agang said long-term peace in the region depends on strong support for vulnerable people. He called for more partnerships to expand humanitarian work in rural communities.
A programme facilitator, Mercy Anku, said emotional pain affects focus and productivity. She explained that women dealing with loss struggle to run businesses. The organisers therefore started the training with trauma counseling.
The widows also received training in financial literacy and basic business management. The sessions showed them how to turn skills into income-generating products.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Esther Badung, urged stronger collaboration with other groups. She said short-term aid does not create lasting change in remote areas.
Badung explained that real empowerment requires skills, funding and education. She added that many aid programmes fail to reach hard-to-access communities.
During the training, participants developed business plans in food processing, poultry farming and nursery gardening. The two-day programme ran from January 30 to January 31.
The organisation called on charities, faith-based groups and government agencies to support long-term empowerment efforts.
