By Philip Tengzu
Chogsia, (UW/R), July 01, GNA – Over 30 women in rural communities in the Wa West District, have been trained in business development skills to enhance their petty trading and business activities in earning a decent livelihood.
The Innovation for Sustainable Rural Development (ISRuDev) organised the training and funded by the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisations (FAO) under the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) Direct Beneficiary Grant project.
The beneficiary women were selected from women groups and associations in more than 10 communities participating in the FFF project including Tendoma, Talawonchelle, Motori, Gynuokura, Meteu, and Dakori communities, among others.
Speaking at the opening of the training at Chogsia in the Wa West District, Mr Philemon Dong-Uuro, the Executive Director of ISRuDev, said they had trained the women in soap and soybean cake (kabab) making and currently working with some of them on shea butter processing.
He expressed the hope that the skills training they had received would spur the growth of their businesses to enable them to reap the profit thereof.
Mr Dong-Uuro said the women were expected to do a step-down training for the members of their groups.
“For those that have not started any business yet, we hope that the knowledge they will get here will encourage them to start doing something. We know that for the family to grow women have a critical role to play.
“So, empowering the women will enable them contribute to the upkeep of their families and proper upbringing of their children including support in their education,” he explained.
The Executive Director stated that ISRuDev would link the women, especially those into shea butter processing to the market since difficulty in getting market for their products discouraged some of the women from continuing their businesses.
Mr Dong-Uuro added that the NGO was working towards instituting a credit scheme to support the women with finances to sustain their businesses.
He said that was necessary because the loans they acquired from the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) alone were not enough for some businesses the women were into such as the shea butter and soap making.
Mr Vincent Akandi, the Small Business Development Officer at Vibrant Village Foundation, who facilitated the training, took the women through business ideas and plan development, the “4 Ps” of marketing (product development, price, promotion, and place), basic business accounting, and records keeping.
He also introduced the women to personal hygiene, care and safety, good customer relations, risk factors in business operations and how to manage those factors.
Mr Akandi encouraged the women to support each other in their business activities so they could grow together and contribute significantly to the development of their communities.
Madam Gifty Teonzuyelle, a participant from Tendomo community, said the training had served as a revelation to her in her business management.
Madam Teonzuyelle, who is into soap making, said she, hitherto, did not keep records of her business activities and poor management of the business sometimes led to financial losses.
GNA