The Association for Literacy Support Services (NOGALSS), SOHO 24Foundation and the Association of FCT Wives of Traditional Rulers have collaborated on literacy empowerment of residents of Kado Kuchi community in Abuja.
The three organisations at the inauguration of the NOGALSS Sustainable Livelihood Empowerment Centre in Kado Kuchi committed to empowering people on literacy and skills for sustainable self-reliance and economic stability.
Mr Emmanuel Noah, the National President of NOGALSS said that the association envisioned a literacy empowerment centre where all learners were empowered with livelihood skills and financially for sustainable self-reliance and economic development of the country.
Noah said that the selection of the community members to be empowered was done by the traditional ruler, adding that the associations came to Kado Kuchi because the number of non-literate persons was very high.
“We came here for a programme, while we were speaking English, more than half of the people left; while we were wondering why they left, we were told that they left because they did not understand English.
“So after thorough study, we discovered that there are many of them like that in this community, so we decided to establish a literacy centre here called NOGALSS sustainable Livelihood and Empowerment Centre.
“The programme will last for nine months and within these nine months, they would have also been able to acquire many skills.
“As you can see, the Association of Wives of FCT Traditional Rulers is all here with us and they are the ones that will handle the skills aspect like soap and popcorn making, tailoring and so many skills that are available to them.”
Noah said that at the end of the nine months, the associations would map out ways to empower the participants to be enable them become self-reliant.
“After these nine months, it is going to be a continuous thing and another set of people will come on board and we will continue like that.
“We have the basic literacy, who are the ones that cannot read and write at all and they are 40 of them, while post-literacy programmes are the ones that can barely read or write.
“We have 15 learners and more are coming,’ ‘ he said.
Ms Christy Okpara, the Nigerian Olympics Medalist and Founder of SOHO Foundation said the foundation was founded in 2015 with the aim of promoting health and fitness in people.
“Having schooled abroad and acquired all the knowledge that makes human being function and have a healthy life, I deemed it necessary that the best thing to do is to come home.
“We promote literacy as the most important part of it because we believe that with education, you can achieve all of the goals you set for yourself.
“Literacy is the ultimate goal for everyone to be involved in.
“In order for you to be able to achieve any goal you set for yourself, you should learn how to communicate and that is where all of us failed to achieve our aims.”
Okpara said that the foundation was partnering with NOGALSS to give community members the lift to get them to achieve their aims.
Mrs Gimbiya Usman, the wife of Traditional Ruler of Garki and the chief coordinator, Association of Traditional Rulers wives in FCT said the association partnered with other organisations to bring succour to FCT residents.
“You can see that they are happy and they are willing to learn and achieve and by the special grace of God, they will achieve their aim.
“What I want to tell well-meaning Nigerians is to come and support, especially in Kado Kuchi; we have been going to other communities to see how we can support but nobody has ever come to Kado Kuchi.
“So today, we are here to flag-off the literacy class and skill acquisition training and Insha Allah, as we graduate others and they have their own source of income, they will be like that too.”
Ms Rose Samuel, a participant, thanked the associations for selecting her as one of the beneficiaries in the programme.
“I appreciate the organisers of this programme and I am very grateful. I don’t know how to read and I am so glad that I am among this programme to learn how to read and write.”
Another participant, Miss Aisha Mohammed expressed happiness for being selected.
“I am very happy today because they shared books, pencils and even uniform to us; before now I did not know how to read but now I can read very well,” she said.
(NAN)