NGO empowers 800 youths in Oyo
A non-governmental organisation, ‘New Seraphs’ in Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide, has empowered about 800 youths in Oyo State. The group, powered by the Dr Oluseye Yomi-Sholoye Foundation, trained the beneficiaries on different vocational skills like tailoring, barbing, soap making, hair dressing, painting and photography. Speaking with journalists at the inauguration of the Oyo State […]
A non-governmental organisation, ‘New Seraphs’ in Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide, has empowered about 800 youths in Oyo State.
The group, powered by the Dr Oluseye Yomi-Sholoye Foundation, trained the beneficiaries on different vocational skills like tailoring, barbing, soap making, hair dressing, painting and photography.
Speaking with journalists at the inauguration of the Oyo State chapter of the initiative held at the En-Hakkore Church (Aladura), Molete, Ibadan, the convener of the group, who doubles as the Deputy Primate of Faith Mission, CSS Church, Satellite Town, Lagos, Dr Oluwaseye Yomi-Sholoye, lamented the high level of poverty in Nigeria.
According to Dr Yomi-Sholeye, “There is need for us to advance the fate of our members at seraphs. This leads me to the empowerment of our youths. Many of our youths today lag behind their peers in the scheme of things in the society, and this must be addressed.
“So, in order to correct this imbalance, there is need for aggressive youth empowerment programmes, scholarships to youths from well-to-do seraphs, vocational and skill acquisition trainings for them and donation of educational materials to those who are not so privileged among our youths.
“When these are done, there will be creativity and innovations from the youths, which in turn, will advance the cause of our church and its people. Our women too need to be empowered. Many of our women in the church go through harrowing experiences trying to assist their penurious husbands to make ends meet at home.
“We need to improve the economic power of our members generally. We need to develop projects that will improve the economic power of our members so that they can be self-sufficient and also compete favourably in the larger society and directly contribute to the growth/stability of the church.”
Saying the modern day church had deviated from the core mandate of the founding fathers, she added, “Let us remember that the chief mandate of the founding fathers/mothers of the church is envangelism, and if we must tell ourselves the truth, we have not been so pushful in carrying out that mandate today, like of old. Fact is, we have been sleeping for too long.
“It appears we are fast derailing from the mandate and that we are trying to emulate those who take the riches of the world as their core mandate upon which their denominations were founded,” she added.
Also at the event, Bishop Femi Adepoju, one of the international coordinators of the group said, “In Lagos, not fewer than 2000 youths had been trained and were provided with working tools and cash to establish themselves. People are suffering and this is a reason this empowerment is set up, that is, to alleviate their sufferings.”