From Gyang Bere, Jos
The Rotary Club of Jos Utan, District 9125, has engaged blind women to train vulnerable women on a three-day skills acquisition programme.
Rotn Jane Ogo Egbo, the 5th Club President, Rotary Club of Jos Utan, said the blind women were engaged by the club due to their industriousness and requisite skills.
She noted that it is marvellous for blind women to teach women who have their sights on skills acquisition.
‘These blind women are today resource persons who are training women at Utan and Alheri community on how to make bags, soup, chairs, bids and other items organised by the trailblazer President of Rotary Club of Utan District 9125 Nigeria, Jane Ogo Egbo.’
Egbo noted that the training was to equip the women with requisite skills that will provide employment for them to reduce poverty in the community.
‘We brought the resource persons from the Blind Centre Zawang in Jos, Plateau state, when we visited that centre, we saw ability in disability. These people are blind and they are making beautiful bags and other materials, that was what attracted me.
‘I said if women who are blind and can do this, then there is no reason why someone with her sights cannot learn it. I told the women to take the training seriously because those who are teaching them are blind women.
‘We organise the skills acquisition for women of Utan and Alheri community. We are training 100 women on this to make ice, Dettol, Air freshener, ion chair with rubber, bags and bids.
‘We contacted the youth leader of the two communities to get us those who are really in need of these skills because we don’t want to train those who do not have the interest, we want those who after training, will go and train others.
‘If these 100 women will learn and go back to their community, Churches and Mosques and train other 100, the issue of unemployment will reduce and they will be economically self-reliant,’ she stated.
Deborah Paul, 42 and 40-year-old Asabe Amaji, who are friends came from Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, were the resource persons during the training.
Deborah, a mother of three, got married to Mr Paul from Edo State with her sight. But her predicament started when she conceived and gave birth to her last daughter, Mary.
She gave birth in the hospital and after she was discharged home for some days, the dejected woman started complaining of not seeing well.
She continued to exercise her faith with the hope that she will regain her sight after some time, but the condition kept getting worse each passing day.
