LAGOS PRESENTS EMPOWERMENT TOOLS TO ORPHANS, VULNERABLE CHILDREN

Lagos State Government today presented empowerment tools to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) as a way of making the beneficiaries self-reliant in their various trades and vocations.

Presenting the tools to the beneficiaries at Correctional Centre for Junior Boys, Sabo, Yaba, the State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Agboola Dabiri said that it is the desire of the State government to ensure that all households have sustainable income to meet the basic needs of life in line with the Sustainable Development Goals on poverty alleviation.

According to the Commissioner, the Governor Ambode-led administration is aware that not having a means of economic sustainability does not only have a devastating emotional and financial effect on already vulnerable households, but that the situation is also capable of exposing the individual to several risks such as early marriage, child labour, deep debt profile, vulnerability to health issues and a cycle of multi-generational poverty.

While saying that the household economic strengthening program was introduced to enhance the capacity of households with vulnerable children, the Commissioner added that the gesture will help the families to respond adequately to hardships without long-term negative consequences.

He assured those who are yet to benefit from the initiative that the programme will be a continuous exercise to assist different vulnerable households till every OVC household in Lagos State is empowered.

Dabiri, therefore, charged the beneficiaries to use the various tools given to them by the State government to contribute to the economic and financial advancement of their families, the State and the country as a whole.

“To the beneficiaries of today, I say congratulations and urge you to put into use all the tools you have been provided with by the government free of charge in other to reduce the hardship your individual families have been facing. I wish you success in all endeavours”, the Commissioner reiterated.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola said that the empowerment programme for OVC further demonstrates the resolve of the present administration in the State to effectively deliver on its mandates.

He added that the empowerment has been tailored towards the job experiences of each household to provide for the essential needs of the children in their care and to ensure that vulnerable children are able to access essential services, including safety, healthcare, education and other basic needs.

The Secretary of OVC, Biola Ajayi, described the empowerment initiative as a big relief, saying that “This is first of its kind and it is also the first time that members of this association will be remembered by the government for an empowerment programme”.

She encouraged all the beneficiaries to make good use of the equipment as it will go a long way to assist them in being economically self-reliant.