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Nigeria: Group to Initiate Programme for the Unemployed
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Vanguard (Lagos)
28 December 2007
Posted to the web 28 December 2007
Chinedu Ibeabuchi
Lagos
Following its quest to empower Nigerians, especially youth and women by engaging them in productive ventures, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Skill Development Foundation for Women and Youths (Skildev Foundation) has initiated a programme aimed at empowering five thousand young Nigerians by 2008.
Speaking during the graduation and fund-raising ceremony for the programme in Lagos, the founder of the organisation, Mrs. May Okoronkwo lamented the high rate of unemployment among youth and women linking it with the numerous vices witnessed in the society.
She said, "The high unemployment rate in the in rate in the country, especially among some women and youths, has wreaked much havoc and mayhem on the poor society. Poor nutrition, unaffordable health care, education, shelter and great financial challenges had, sometimes led some to anti-socio economic behaviours, such as prostitution, scams, child exploitation among others."
She disclosed that Skildev Foundation is determined to improve the quality of lives of women and youths in the country by assisting them to be financially independent hence, eradicating poverty which is major thrust of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG). "The burning desire to teach the low placed in the society how to fish rather than give them fish necessitated this programme. It all started as a result of my little charitable contribution the poor. Each time, they would come back asking for more. Then, I thought it expediently to teach them how to support themselves.
I decided to impart some skillful knowledge that I have gain over the years and to share my talent with the youths to make them productive and contribute meaningfully to our society. It was driven by the need to develop the human skills as a pivot of tackling poverty, unemployment, child exploitation, prostitution and other social vices," she added. She disclosed that it has put in place programmes to ensure that every six months, an industrial park is started by way of creating employment, generating training programmes, starting up new Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) among others.
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According to Okoronkwo, "With structure currently in place, Skildev has developed a system of establishing industrial parks as a way of training Nigerians, turning them to mentors and empowering them to become future SME's owners. It plans to train two hundred in six months, the two hundred will mentor eight hundred (four each month).
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