Maureen Okpe
In a bid to improve the livelihood of underserved persons through collaboration and community impact, Happy Moms Empowerment Foundation, in partnership with PAGED Initiative, Upliftwithmatty Charity Foundation and WDC/Primary Health Care Karshi, organized an intervention targeted at empowering Persons With Disabilities (PWD).
The outreach, held over the weekend in commemoration of the 8th anniversary of Happy Moms Empowerment Foundation, provided livelihood support, food items and free health services to underserved women in the Karshi community of Abuja.
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Founder and President of Happy Moms Empowerment Foundation, Faith Idongesit Olawale, explained that the intervention was designed to provide practical tools to help women with disabilities become self-reliant.
Olawale revealed that the beneficiaries had earlier been trained in the process of making locally-produced spaghetti (pasta) but lacked the equipment to start their businesses, hence the intervention.
According to Olawale, “This is our eighth anniversary intervention, and we chose to focus on women with disabilities because we believe in inclusive empowerment.
“These women have the skill but lacked the tools. Now, they can earn a living and feed their families.”
She further shared that Happy Moms Empowerment Foundation has evolved from a Facebook support group for first-time mothers into an NGO empowering women with yearly interventions focused on health, education, and economic empowerment.
On her part, Executive Director of PAGED Initiative, Ummi Bukar, reiterated the organization’s commitment to using media advocacy and community engagement to empower marginalized populations and amplify their voices.
Bukar noted that PAGED’s role in the intervention began with a needs assessment conducted in Karshi Local Government Area, where livelihood and food security were identified as major concerns among women with disabilities.
Chairman World Development Committee Karshi, Mikail Shuaibu, emphasized the importance of combining economic and health interventions, noting that the program also included free blood pressure checks, malaria testing, hepatitis screening, and the distribution of essential medications to beneficiaries.
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He commended the initiative, saying, “This is one of the few times we have received something truly tangible. The provision of machines and food items goes a long way in solving real problems in our community.”
In the same view, Martina Omoike, founder of Upliftwithmatty Charity Foundation, described the intervention as timely and necessary. Her organization runs a unique model of a free supermarket that allows vulnerable individuals to shop for food, clothing, and other essentials at no cost.
“Our goal is to remove the financial barriers that hold people back. With this support, these women can stay in their community, produce spaghetti, and earn income,” she said.
The Chairman of the Karshi Association of Persons with Disability and Founder of the Hope for Disability Foundation, Bature Abubakar Karshi, described the impact of the program as awesome.
According to him, “This intervention has wiped away tears from my people. I am overwhelmed. These machines will empower our women to work and sustain themselves. There is ability in disability,” he said, urging beneficiaries to take full advantage of the support they have received.
One of the beneficiaries, Patience Serkus, a women leader among persons with disabilities, expressed deep gratitude for the life-changing support.
Serkus said, “We had the knowledge but didn’t have the machines. Now, with this help, we can start something meaningful. It will change how society sees us and how we see ourselves.”
The organizers have called on more NGOs, corporate bodies, and development partners to join hands in scaling such impactful initiatives. As Martina Omoike put it, “No one person or group can do it all. But when we come together, we can reach more people and make lasting change.”