NGO Focuses On Women Empowerment

History is replete with
stories of men, women or organisations who sticked out their neck for the good of others. Certainly, behind every people or folk who came out from the woods, are names who have made things happen for their sake.
This great sacrifice for the good of others is not without a price. Sometimes lives are involved, other times it is merely resources that are spent which may be in the form of time, human, material, or financial.
The Niger Delta Women Initiative for Transparency and Social Justice (WITSOJ), is one of such bodies that would ever remain unfulfilled should the women and youths of the Niger Delta continue to suffer corruption, environmental degradation and human right abuses, a situation that has presented enormous challenges to citizen’s participation in civil society.
Born out of necessity to combat injustice in the Niger Delta, Women Initiative for Transparency and Social Justice (WITSOJ) is training and mobilising women and young people to effectively engage in the democratic political process as well as holding local law makers accountable and achieving concrete goals in their communities.
A unique grassroots coalition based in the Niger Delta, WITSOJ works with unions and local non-governmental organisations, to provide a platform for women in urban and rural communities across the Niger Delta States to demand transparency, accountability and social justice through legitimate elections and participatory budgetary processes.
According to its national cordinator, Dr Jennifer Spiff, as a coalition of more than 20 local organisations, WITSOJ regularly taps into expertise of its members and has the support of clergies; such as the Catholic Daughters of Charity, who give the coalition the religious approval as co-agents of change in the society.
WITSOJ launched its grassroots education and outreach effort with one-day workshops for women and youth on participatory governance within local government areas. To date, more than 5,000 women have taken part in these hands-on workshops which include Andoni and Opobo.
In Rivers State, WITSOJ educates and trains impoverished local women about their democratic rights, enabling them to pursue active citizen engagement with their public officials by monitoring budget performance, participating in the electoral process and holding law makers accountable  for providing basic services.
Dr. Jennifer Spiff explains that WITSOJ focuses on training women in large part because “Women are the most vulnerable and are on the receiving end of social injustice.
For Gold Minimah, a WITSOJ member, empowering women is an advantage in achieving concrete goals. “In Nigerian society, men are perceived to be militant. Even the men listen to us,” she said.
A farmer from Ihuike community in Ahoada East Local Government Area, Victory Goodluck agrees that it is a good strategy to focus on women. victory, who believes that women are instruments of change said “WITSOJ has enlightened us to know our rights and the power of women in bringing out desired vision into full manifestateion.” These good works made American Solidarity to publish a a magazine on WITSOJ.

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi