▪︎ “We want a better Nigeria,” says Oliha, President DACI
Over one thousand children of school age are being taken out of street hawking by Debuilders Advocacy Center International (DACI).
Speaking on the initiative, the President of the international organization, Mrs Theresa Oliha said the Hawkers’ Support Scheme was an initiative to support parents with low income, who have resorted to street hawking as a way of survival, thereby endangering or putting at risk the precious life and future of their children, especially teenagers.
She said DACI’s objective was to rescue such children by educating and supporting their parents to undertake small/medium scale business that would not allow their wards to street hawk and ultimately become school dropouts.
In her three-day Advocacy programme held at the Nigerian Air Force conference center, Abuja, Mrs Oliha said having worked as a community worker and counselor to assaulted women, youth and children in Toronto, Canada, she was concerned that over ten million Nigeria children were out of school.
She said if the threat was not handled at this their early age, it would be of great danger for the country 8n the future.
Oliha, who is the founder of Toronto Women’s Neighborhood Link, a women organization that offers economic development programme to immigrant women, said she decided to contribute her quota to the development of the country in ensuring that children who dropped out of schools for financial reasons were back to school, while their mothers were empowered through a business startup.
On Women in Business Initiative (WBi), she said the programme was specially designed for women in small and medium scale enterprises.
He said such women were those with genuine business plans or ideas but lacked start-up capitals, pointing out that they would be empowered by the organization.
“In Daci, we believe that such empowerment will reinstate a sense of responsibility among the benefactors and also reduce sexual crimes and promiscuity amongst the women within our sphere.
“We are also into economic and development scheme for underprivileged youths. This initiative offers skills acquisition programs, career oriented training and self employment opportunities that will automatically reposition the Youth to be self-reliant and financially independent.
“We want to reduce through this program the alarming rate of unemployment amongst the Youths, their involvement and participation in crimes and criminal tendencies, drug addictions and the high rate of moral decadence in the communities and the entire nation.”
The FoodBank Lunch Initiative (FBLi), according to her, was an agricultural education-based programme designed specifically for the youths; the youths are reorientated and motivated to be involved in all the aspects of agriculture as regards their interest and passion after which they will be empowered to start a farm or agro business of their choice and earn from the proceeds thereafter.
“The primary objective of this initiative is to introduce to the Youths that modern day agriculture is not a dirty business relegated to the low or average persons in the community but a world class 21st century business capable of providing financial independence and self reliance.”
Mrs Theresa Oliha is also the president and founder of Jesus The Builder Ministry which believes that through prayers and hard work, Christians can effect change and bring solutions to any prevailing social and religious challenges in communities and Nigeria.
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