Women with disabilities empowered in Abuja
Seventy women with disabilities have been empowered by the Step to the Top Leadership Centre (STLC) in Abuja. The Executive Director of STLC, Teresa Nwachukwu, who made this known at the closing ceremony of the Project Thinkable organised by the group and funded by VOICE Netherlands, said the beneficiaries now have a renewed mind set […]
Seventy women with disabilities have been empowered by the Step to the Top Leadership Centre (STLC) in Abuja.
The Executive Director of STLC, Teresa Nwachukwu, who made this known at the closing ceremony of the Project Thinkable organised by the group and funded by VOICE Netherlands, said the beneficiaries now have a renewed mind set about life and living.
She said the project, which lasted for one year and had over 70 mentors and mentees, was designed to shift the mind set of physically challenged women in Abuja to thinking towards their abilities, confidence and service and not begging to be pitied by the community.
“Project Thinkable was our contribution towards helping women with disabilities understand themselves by learning about social identities and mental models, understand others by learning about the various personalities and communication,” she said, adding that the project had three thematic areas – leadership development, mentorship and community service.
She urged the beneficiaries to see service as a lifetime endeavour. “We want them to know that service is a lifetime. What I am doing now is what anybody could and should do. They should go in there and step down on what we have taught them.”
The linking and learning officer for VOICE project, Sebastian Shikel, commended the centre for the effort in reaching the project’s targeted population, including the marginalised women in the society.
“Working with STEPS Leadership has been very encouraging. We are proud of them because they implemented what they said they want to do in the proposal. We really appreciate their approach on delivering on our targeted population,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Jane Akpaeva, who with the assistance of her mentor was able to carry out three community service projects, visited the School of the Blind in Jabi where she facilitated a session on mental models and attitude towards people with disabilities.
“The aim was to give them a positive mind set towards disability, especially as they graduate from secondary to tertiary institutions of learning,” she said in a Project Thinkable handbook also launched at the closing out ceremony.