N100m biz loan uplifts Sokoto women IDPs
Amina, one of the internally displaced persons at Gandi IDP camp in Raba Local Government Area of Sokoto State was excited when the announcement of a N100 million credit facility for 1,000 IDP women was made at the camp. The 45-year-old displaced woman knows the importance of economic resources to IDPs. She lost her husband […]
N100m biz loan uplifts Sokoto women IDPs
Amina, one of the internally displaced persons at Gandi IDP camp in Raba Local Government Area of Sokoto State was excited when the announcement of a N100 million credit facility for 1,000 IDP women was made at the camp.
The 45-year-old displaced woman knows the importance of economic resources to IDPs. She lost her husband and everything to the recent bandits attack on Tabanni and other villages in Raba. She now relies only on what government gives at the IDP camp in Gandi.
The widow is among hundreds of displaced women who lack means of livelihood even though at the camp, the IDPs’ basic needs such as food, health care services and shelter are being taken care of.
Out of a total of 5,127 displaced persons from nine villages of Tabanni, Alikiru, Kwasa, Warwanna, Gidan Kare, Ruwan Tsamiya, Ilulu, Dutsi and Tafkin Kwasa, 1,770 are women, 1,227 men, 1,197 girls and 933 boys.
While majority of the men are farmers and find ways of continuing with their farming activities, most of the women are left idle at the camp.
The situation necessitated measures to enable the women achieve economic self-reliance for a sustainable livelihood and improvement in the quality of their lives.
This is what the soft loan facility was set to achieve.
“The Pro-poor Gate Foundation has come to collaborate with us by the authority of Bank of Industry to provide soft loans for all the affected women so that they can continue with their small scale businesses within Gandi town. This is so that they would not remain redundant, and be waiting for us to give them food on daily basis,” overseer of the camp, Muhammad Lawal Maidoki, said.
He added that the money would be disbursed to the women according to a beneficiary’s needs and business plan.
The socio-economic initiative promises to enhance women’s access to secure livelihood. It will not only empower them, but also enable the beneficiaries to support their families, particularly the over 2,000 children affected.
However, to benefit from the gesture, Amina and others would have to go through some formalities and meet certain requirements – they would have to open bank accounts, provide the Bank Verification Number, (BVN) and have mobile phones, among others which many of the rural women do not have.
Nonetheless, to fast-track efforts towards empowerment of the women, some organisations have offered to assist.
“Binji Communications has volunteered to give the 1,000 beneficiaries SIM cards as its contribution. Others are helping them with the issue of passport photographs needed to open bank accounts. The Zakkat Commission is helping them in respect of their BVN registration,” Maidoki revealed.
Women empowerment is critical to the achievement of sustainable development. According to UN Women: “Investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth.”
Amina is hopeful that the initiative will make great impact on their lives. “The idea of loan facility is cheering. It would really go a long way in making us self- sufficient,” she said.