By Uchenna Eletuo
The Caritas Nigeria, on Thursday, graduated and empowered 720 youths trained in its vocational skills, tasking beneficiaries on the proper use of items to make themselves self-reliant and reduce poverty in their communities.
The programme, tagged “Building Sustainable Livelihoods in Vibrant Community (B-SLiC) Project, conducted in Badagry Lagos tutored youths and women for three months in Bead making, Plumbing, Catering, and tailoring. Electrical works, phone repairs carpentry, Soap making, make-up, and others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event featured an exhibition of the works of the trainees, and offered start-up kits to encourage the graduates.
Caritas, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) formed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, coordinates humanitarian activities to impact society.
Speaking at the event, Caritas Nigeria Director, Rev. Fr. Uchechukwu Obodoechna, represented by the Caritas Nigeria Senior Humanitarian Representative, Mr Friday Al Hassan warned beneficiaries against the sale of the items, saying such would derail the intention of the project.
According to him the project supported by the Conrade Holton Foundation U.S. and carried out by Caritas is to enhance people’s living standards by teaching and equipping people to earn a living.
“It is expected that haven acquired the skill you are to train others in the community to widen the scope and to enlist youths.
“The training is tailored in accordance to trainees’ passion so that such passion will be sustained and expand in the society to gainfully engage people and take them away from the street.
“I employ the master trainers under whose supervision these trainees pass through to ensure further mentoring of the beneficiaries to guide against miss use of the items,” he said.
The director decried hunger and despair among the people and said that the proper use of the start-up kits would change the economic fortunes of the society.
In his remarks, the Traditional Leader of Topo, Badagry Lagos Chief Michael Avoseh, said that the intervention was vital in the economic and social mobilisation of the youths.
Avoseh urged the master trainers not to enlist the beneficiaries into various trade associations to give them a free hand to exhibit their trade at low prices to the public.
The chief, charged the participants to ensure they do not sell the kits for quick money, pledging to form a task force to monitor the use of the kits by the beneficiaries.
Ms Sarah Odu, a master trainer who trained 10 participants on bead making said that bead making was money-spinning.
Odu said that the beads skill that she trained the people on has been what has been feeding her family of 3 comfortably since 2021.
She said that her bead products such as bangles, necklaces, and bags were in high demand outside Nigeria.
