World Bank Empowers 20 HIV Positive women

The World Bank in collaboration with the Rivers State Agency for the Control of AIDS (RIVSACA) has empowered 20 women living with HIV/AIDS with training in sewing and a starter pack comprising a sewing machine each, accessories, and six months’ rent.
Making the presentation recently at the Rivers State Ministry of Women Affairs, commissioner of the Ministry, Barr Ukei in   Oyaghiri said the empowerment is intended to enable the beneficiaries to cater for themselves.
“ You might look at it as a small thing because it’s only one machine. But one machine can turn to two, three, and three become an institution, based on how you manage it”, the commissioner said.
She used the occasion to explain to the beneficiaries that people say opportunity comes but once, but that only those who do not make progress in their various endeavours settle for the saying.
“It is what you do with this opportunity that will determine whether you will progress or not.
“Progress means opportunity bringing another opportunity. But when you don’t progress, you say opportunity comes but once.
“This opportunity is not supposed to come but once, it is supposed to bring other open door for you”, she said.
Barr Oyaghiri also used the opportunity to thank the World Bank and RIVSACA for accomplishing the progremme from the training of the women to handing over of the starter pack, noting that there were cases in which similar ventures were not completed.
While responding on behalf of the recipients, Mrs Josephine Emmanuel, the State Coordinator of Network of people living with HIV/AIDS  (NEPWHAN), expressed appreciation to World Bank  and RIVSACA for remembering the NEPWHAN.
She urged members to utilise the opportunity  “so that World Bank and RIVSACA will be happy with us and give our members more opportunities.
Mrs  Emmanuel also pleaded with RIVSACA to remember other members, noting that the 20 beneficiaries only constitute a minute number of women living with HIV/AIDS in Rivers State.
On his part, the project manager of RIVSACA, Dr Francis Naziga, explained that the programme  is “one of the activities of the 2017 World Bank workplan for Rivers State.
“It  actually has to do with training 20 females that are living with HIV/AIDS and this particular ones were trained in sewing skills, with the component  of  also giving them sewing machines and paying rents for a minimum of six months”, he said.

Sogbeba Dokubo