Investing in women sets a direct path towards eradication of poverty and inclusive economic growth. Women make enormous contributions to economies whether in businesses or by doing unpaid care work at home. According to Michelle Bachelet, the former Executive Director of UN Women, “when women earn money for the family, everyone in the family benefits. When women have an income, everyone wins because women dedicate 90% of the income to health, education, food security, to the children and to the community.”
Participatory Development Alternatives (PDA) with support from Actionaid Nigeria through her Local Right Programme (LRP) introduced the women peer education programme in various communities (Amuro, Agba-Amaeta, Ovuoba, Ephuenyim, Okpuitumo) in Ebonyi State where issues of women were broadly looked into and capabilities of women were built to positively impact their families and their environment. The programme has developed the self-esteem and senses of empowerment of the women.
Below are some of the testimonies captured in Okpuitumo community:
Onye agha lanwanneya women peer education programme (PEP) group, Okpuitumo is one of the communities in Ebonyi State were PEP was introduced. This group have regular weekly (Wednesdays) peer education sessions with an average attendance of 24 members. In an interactive session with the group facilitator, Mrs. Maria Origbo, she said that the women peer education programme has changed their lives for good. She added that the programme has made them to understand the importance of family planning, especially on child spacing, keeping of personal hygiene, sanitation at home, importance of unity and cooperation in the family, marital relationship and have improved their investment mentality.
Mrs. Evelyn Agodo is a 43 years old woman, married at the age of 21. She and her husband live in Okpuitumo community in Ebonyi State with their eleven children, six boys and five girls. She joined the PEP session in 2019. Mrs. Evelyn had the challenge of family planning. According to her, she and her husband did not have any knowledge of child spacing and family planning to prevent them from having more babies. She said “Thank God for my encounter with the onye agha lanwanneya women peer group. Before now, my husband and I have been finding it very difficult to space our children. Even when I wanted to stop getting pregnant, I still find myself getting pregnant. It has never been our wish to give birth to eleven children but ignorance had made it to be so. After every child birth, it did not take me time to get pregnant again. It was a serious challenge between my husband and I. We sought help but it not fought coming and I could not talk to anybody about it. One day, I reluctantly attended one of the PEP sessions. I heard the facilitator talk about family planning. I met her after the PEP session to tell me more about family planning. The facilitator said I should to go to the health center for more information on the subject. She said that if I did not have money to go to the health center, I should be able to know my safe period. She taught me how to count my menstrual cycle and when it was safe and not safe for me to get pregnant.
The improved knowledge and confidence which Evelyn had during the PEP session helped her to be able to talk with her husband about the different option she had learnt from the PEP session, which her husband agreed on. With excitement towards the change that has occurred in Evelyn’s life, she said, “look at how beautiful I am. Imagine, since last year I have not been pregnant. I can now do “shakara” (feel elegant and proud).
Another challenge faced by some of the community women were inadequate funds to take up household responsibilities. Through the Local Right programme, PDA with support from Actionaid Nigeria supported the group with the grants of N50,000 to enable them start up or support in their businesses. The Okpuitumo gave a soft loan of N5000 naira to women who needed it, to start up business so as to support and contribute to household responsibilities. Mrs. Virginia Igwe collected a loan of N5000 to start up her own business. With a loan of N5000 that she collected from the group, she makes bambara nut (Okpai) and sells them in the community market daily. With her profit ranging between N1500 and N2000 each day. She has been able to gradually pay back her loan while also saving some money. Having her own income has improved the balance of power in her marriage and has given her the confidence to make decisions regarding family matters, such as her children’s education and family needs. In her words, before now I depend on my husband for everything. Whenever my husband comes back from his work place not making any income, he gets unnecessarily angry with me and the children. Most times, we stay hungry. But now, things have changed. With the income I generate from my okpai business, I feed and take care of my family. My husband sometimes borrows money from me. I am happy that I now earn my own money. My husband is now happy with me.
Mrs. Jecinta Nwikwe a mother of seven children also collected a loan of N5000 to start up her rice, beans and onions business. She has paid back her loan and also has her savings; she expressed her heartfelt gratitude to PDA. She said, “I am very happy that PDA came to my aid and gave me opportunity to become who I am today. Look at me, an idle woman who always begged for maggi and salt from her neighbour! I am now a business woman that lends money to others. I can boast of giving my children three complete square meals”