NOA partners NGO to empower indigent women in Anambra

By Joy Mbachi

The National Orientation Agency (NOA), Anambra branch, in line with the state’s vision on human capital development, has partnered Love Givers Initiative, a non-govermental organisation (NGO), to empower indigent citizens.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NOA and the NGO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to embark on the empowerment programme for indigent women and the girl child in three flood-prone communities in the State.

The two organisations signed the MoU when the Executive Director of the Initiative, Mrs Onyeka Udegbunam, and her team paid a courtesy call on Mr Joseph Uchendu, NOA Director in Anambra.

Udegbunam indicated that the two organisations came to the NOA on two folds.

According to her, one was to thank the leadership of the NOA for the last programme they had  with them in terms of the INEC Voters Registration exercise in readiness for the 2023 general  elections in the State.

The second issue was to brief Uchendu on the current programme in the State which hinged on empowerment.

She said the programme will benefit indigent women and the girl child in Ossamala Community in Ogbaru  Local Government Area (LGA),  Ebenebe and Ugbenu Communities in Awka North LGA of the State.

Udegbunam said that the communitties choosen are the worst hit by flood in the State and needed support.

She disclosed that the NGO is currently working on flood-prone crisis communities in Anambra and having worked with NOA in different programmes, it was delighted to do so again.

“Like Oliver Twist, we are here again to ask NOA for partnership to assist them in the area of information.

“We need to disseminate information to the public concerning our present programmes in the State on flooding and other crisis,” she said.

She said that the body expects to be receiving feedback from the people on their current programmes in the State through the NOA, knowing fully well that they interact directly with the Communities in the State.

Udegbunam said that the NGO would rely more on NOA to have quality information, adding that collaborating with NOA in the task will no doubt assist them in no small measure in information gathering as well as boost their  programmes in the State.

She affirmed that they have realized that most times that floods, a lot of the girl child in the flood-crisis  communities drop out of school while the women hardly feed themselves and their children.

She noted that they are looking at what they could do alternatively to  assist the women in preserving their  farm produce even when the flood is over for effective storage and for their future  survival.

Udegbunam further stated “because of the existing politics in the communities over leadership tussle, the Organisation decided to use cooporative style to take care of the equipment and the revenue generated  therein for sustainability of the  programme.

She said the programme is a pilot scheme in the benefiting communities by the Organisation under Global  Fund for  Women.

Udegbunam said although they are supposed to work at Ossamala and  Oguaniocha Communities in Ogbaru  LGA, they opted out from Oguaniocha because of the protracted and lingering insecurity in the Community.

“We are now working only at Ossamala Community,” she stated.

She said that the NGO had done the need assessment of the Ebenebe Community in Awka North, indincating that the women were mainly farmers, and there are plans to procure new garri processing machine for them.

Other communities, she said, who have not assessed their needs should wait for now.

Responding, Uchendu thanked the leadership of the NGO for deeming it necessary to come on the visit, and  recalled that the Agency has partnered with the Organisation in implementing various grassroots-oriented  programmes in the State.

Uchendu assured  the team that the NOA will partner with them in its quest to reduce sufferings meted out on indigent women  and the girl child in the flood-prone communities in the State.

The  NOA boss thanked the Organisation for what they are doing in the State towards saving human  lives, especially the indigent women.

Speaking, Deputy Director, Planning, Research and Strategy, NOA, Mr Felix Agbu, urged the group to pay much attention to Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps.

Ms Ifeoma Chijioke in the Department of Special Duties, urged the group to check defilement of young girls  which happens during the stay in the camps.

Chijioke appealed that the girls be provided with Sanitary towels and other Sanitary items.

She also suggested that they Organisation should equally work towards providing speed boats to the flood-prone communities where they are working currently for the safety of lives through rescue missions during the floodings.

(NAN)