200 Girls Acquire Skills To Build Start-Up Businesses

About 200 teenage girls have been empowered by the PAVE project powered by Hacey Health Initiative to drive the needed skill acquisition for young girls in Ibeju Lekki and Ikorodu Metropolis, Lagos.
The business skills include: training on financial management skills, Menstrual hygiene, leadership skills, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), baking, fashion and Make-up arts.
Others are: Leadership skill, mental health, management skills, environmental awareness skill, sexual health education and reproductive health rights.
They were enrolled for one year, and at the end of the programme, beneficiaries of the initiatives who got enrolled into the PAVE Impact project were given certification as they had just graduated from Fashion Schools.
Speaking on the development, chairman of Ikorodu local govt, Hon. Wasiu Ayodeji Adesina commended HACEY Health Initiative efforts in amplifying skills and business facilitation skills for young girls who do not have requisite skills to function in the community.
He added that this would spur them for future events to equip themselves to be self employed, self-reliant and self-sufficient to drive the needed employment and growth status to improve their own livelihoods in their various establishments.
He stated that the global economy is growing at a fast pace such that more progress is needed to increase employment opportunities, particularly for women to reduce the rate of redundancy and unemployment.
He further affirmed that the PAVE Impact initiative of HACEY would promote gender equality, enhance working environment and promote safe and secure working environments for young girls around Ikorodu Metropolis.
Also speaking on the importance of empowering and improving access of girls to SRHR services at the event, the programme manager of HACEY Health Initiative, Chioma Osakwe explained that, efforts towards improving the quality of lives of the girl child should be seen as a priority to improve them with affordable skills that will contribute to their entrepreneurial skills for future events.
According to Osakwe, “we have been able to partner with community actors and gate keepers to help them become productive adding that this would ensure they become active contributory members to their families and communities to break out of poverty and increase life outcomes for their children”.
Launched in 2014, the HACEY Health Initiative empowers disadvantaged young girls and women by helping them learn vocational skills; assists and supports them in setting up businesses.
It also provide them with key information on sexual and reproductive health and rights so they can make a better life for themselves and increase the possibility of them getting back on track towards a productive life and make better life choices.
Osakwe explained that the programme targets girls and women who do not have the skills and knowledge required to earn a living, while stressing that studies have shown that girls within the aforementioned age bracket tend to engage in risky behaviours as an alternative to fending for their daily needs.