Women drawn from the four local government areas in Ogoniland are demanding for livelihood needs to be put in place in Ogoniland, this is to enable them have other alternative means of livelihoods.

The demand came up during the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre’s public presentation and unveiling of the report on ‘Assessment of Women’s Livelihood Needs in Ogoniland: Challenges and Prospects,’ held recently  in Port Harcourt.

They  lamented  the poor soil condition which they complaining that it,  no longer serves  their farming and business needs, as a result of the hazardous pollution ongoing day and night in the air and soil .

One of the participants Jessy likened  the absence of  sources of livelihoods and the cries of the women unattended to, all these years to a flood that would have swallowed up the entire Ogoniland but for God’s intervention.

 Explaining a study recently conducted in the area, one of the participants, Mrs Grace Nwindee, said in the  four local government areas, 38.3% of respondents are engaged in trading – buying and selling of clothes, provisions, drinks, food spare parts, building materials, woods etc. 20% are into farming, fishing, while 17.5%  are artisans – bakery, hair-dressing, bead making, videography, fashion designing.

In all of these  Precious Jessy, appealed to stakeholders present to come to the aid of the women in Ogoniland by providing them with soft loans and grants to enable them have alternative means of livelihoods.

Meanwhile, Kebetkache  Executive Director, Madam Emem Okon, had said that the main aim of the study was to promote women’s inclusion in livelihood decision making for sustainable development in Ogoni, adding that the study identifies the livelihood preferences and priorities as well as  existing opportunities to enhance women’s economic development in Ogoniland.

According to her, the study addresses  the existing livelihood activities and opportunities for women in Ogoni; the women’s expectations and priorities in terms of livelihood options in Ogoni; What constitutes women responses to livelihood challenges in Ogoniland;

More so, the adaptative strategies for the design of a viable livelihood program for Ogoni women,” among others, she said.Okon further explained that Kebetkache interventions empower women and strengthen their capacity to advocate for the holistic implementation of the emergency measures, hence the essence why they advocate for the inclusion of women in all processes of the implementation of the emergency measures and the clean-up exercise in Ogoniland.

Kebetkache’s interventions she added, also include strengthening the capacity of Ogoniwomen to engage with stakeholders, particularly HYPREP, to advocate for the holistic implementation of the emergency measures.

She added that this is key to a successful clean-up process that is inclusive and participatory, noting that the specific objectives of the women’s livelihood needs assessment in Ogoniland were: To describe the existing livelihood activities and opportunities for women in four local government areas in Ogoniland; To assess women’s expectations and priorities in terms of livelihood options in Ogoniland; To investigate women responses to livelihood challenges in Ogoni communities; To recommend a road map-map for the design of an efficient livelihood programme for Ogoni women.

She said: “The report is to serve as advocacy tool to instigate interest and dynamism in enhancing women livelihood and promoting the economic power of community women”.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana