WACHEF Marks International Women’s Day with Gashaka Communities, Donates Grinding Mills
By Christiana Babayo
The Women and Children Health Empowerment Foundation (WACHEF), through its Local Rights Programme (LRP) supported by ActionAid Nigeria, has commemorated this year’s International Women’s Day with communities in Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State, with the donation of grinding mills to support women’s economic activities.
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The event, held Monday at the Gashaka Local Government Secretariat, featured a road walk involving women, community members and other stakeholders who came together to celebrate women and advocate for the protection of their rights.
Speaking at the event, the Programme Manager of the project, Wisdom Christopher, on behalf of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of WACHEF, Dr. Garba Danjuma, and the Executive Director, Mrs. Beden Mergu Barnabas, welcomed the women and stakeholders to the programme and commended their resilience and commitment over the years.
Christopher stressed the importance of protecting women’s rights, noting that when women are empowered and confident, they are better able to speak up for themselves and contribute meaningfully to community development.
“Women’s rights are fundamental rights. When women are empowered and protected, they gain the confidence to speak for themselves and contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities,” she said.
While briefing the Chairman of Gashaka Local Government and the Commissioner for Heritage and Ecotourism who attended the event, she revealed that the project has significantly strengthened the capacity of women in the participating communities.
She added that the initiative is currently being implemented in four communities in Gashaka and eight communities in Yorro Local Government Area.
According to her, through the programme’s savings initiative, women across the 12 benefiting communities have collectively saved over ₦30 million.
“Through this project, women have been trained and supported to save collectively every month. Today, the women across the 12 communities have saved over ₦30 million, which many of them now use to support their families and their children’s education,” she added.
Other members of the project team also spoke at the event, celebrating the resilience of women and encouraging them to continue to demand and protect their rights. They urged women not to remain silent, stressing that freedom and rights only become meaningful when individuals have the courage to act.
They emphasized that demanding fairness and equal opportunities should not be viewed as rebellion or disrespect, but as a legitimate right.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Inclusive Forum for Accountable Society (IFAS), Wilfred Jimon, encouraged women to draw inspiration from notable women who have excelled in various fields and strive to achieve greater heights.
He also commended WACHEF and ActionAid Nigeria for donating grinding mills to the communities, noting that such support would go a long way in easing the burden on rural women while strengthening their economic activities.
“This kind of support is very important for our rural communities. The grinding mills will not only reduce the stress women go through in processing food, but will also serve as a source of livelihood that can support families and strengthen community development,” he said.
Also speaking, the Taraba State Commissioner for Heritage and Ecotourism, Hon. Titus Nagombe, commended WACHEF and ActionAid Nigeria for the initiative, noting that their interventions are helping to improve the lives of communities in Gashaka. He pledged his support for programmes that promote community development and women’s empowerment.
The Chairman of Gashaka Local Government Area, Hon. Umar Yusuf, also lauded WACHEF and ActionAid Nigeria for their contributions to development in the area, particularly in empowering women and supporting education.
“The impact of WACHEF and ActionAid in our communities is visible, especially in the areas of women’s economic empowerment and support for education. These efforts have not gone unnoticed and we truly appreciate them,” he said.
While advising the benefiting communities on the donated grinding mills, the chairman urged them to ensure proper management and maintenance of the machines so that they can serve the communities for a long time.
He emphasized that the mills should be treated as community assets and used in ways that will benefit everyone.
“As a local government, we remain committed to working with organisations like WACHEF to strengthen programmes that will improve education and empower women across our communities,” the chairman added.
As part of activities marking the celebration, two grinding mills were donated to the communities to ease the burden of food processing for women and also serve as a source of livelihood for them.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, a resident of Jankasa community expressed appreciation to WACHEF and ActionAid Nigeria for celebrating the day with them and for the donation.
“We are very grateful to WACHEF and ActionAid Nigeria for remembering us on this important day and for donating the grinding mills to our communities. The machines will help reduce the stress we go through in processing food and will also support our economic activities,” she said.
