By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Communities from Dambam and Bauchi Local Government Areas of Bauchi State have given a pass mark to a Bauchi based NGO, Attah Sisters Helping Hand Foundation (ASHH Foundation) and their Partners for what they described as “impactful empowerment of the vulnerable”.
The commendation came on the wake of an assessment exercise carried out by some officers of the Foundation in the Two LGs of the State.
While in Dambam LG, a community leader Habu S. Garba commended ASHH Foundation for their foresight in designing an empowerment program that is specifically targeted at women that are considered to be vulnerable.
He said that, “no doubt such empowerment programs will turn around the lives of the beneficiaries for the better”.
Other communities leaders that spoke during the focus group discussions (FGD), Adamu Musa Suleiman and Isah Haruna, all agreed that the program ASHH brought to Dambam LG has really empowered the beneficiaries and the LG at large.
One of the beneficiary, Maryam Saidu thanked ASHH Foundation for the pasta making skills they taught her and that she hoped a starter pack will be given to her to put to use the skills she acquired.
While in Angwan Ngas and Sabon Kaura Communities in Bauchi LG, the ASHH Foundation assessment delegation led by the Project Officer- Sule Joseph and the M&E officer- Acheme Iduh, were warmly received by the community leaders and beneficiaries of the empowerment program implemented by the NGO.
The project officer, Sule Joseph informed them that the delegation was on a fact finding exercise to ascertain the impact of the life saving skills ASHH Foundation had implemented in the communities.
In his response, the community leader of Angwan Ngas Monday Waziri, lauded the NGO for selecting his community to implement the empowerment program pointing out that, “we as community are saying thank you for bringing such programs and we hope that more will come to us, because of the number of our population here”.
Also, in Sabon Kaura community, the leader of the people, Abdulsalam Sarki Umar welcome the delegation and further seek for more collaboration with the NGO, stressing that, “It is only God that can repay you and your funders for actualizing the dreams of the beneficiaries of becoming self reliant. You have succeeded in enhancing the economic status of the beneficiaries and the community at large. We will be coming to you to ask for more of such interventions, to give our people a chance of improving their standards of living. On behalf of the beneficiaries, the community is saying thank you most sincerely”.
Our correspondent reports that the skills acquisition program implemented by the NGO, with support from Women For Women International (WFWI) cut across vocational skills that includes: Cosmetology, Pasta Making, Cosmetics Makeup Art and Tailoring.