BUILDING SKILLS IN FOOD SAFETY FOR WIDOWS WITH HIV

My Initiative is an offshoot of the Project my Foundation, NURSE CARMELFLORA CONCERN FOUNDATION (NCFCF), has been carrying for years  as, "Empowerment Walk: One Women, One Girl -at-Time". A unique strategy that  empowered 500 poor Widows and girls in the impoverished communities of Boki with Nutrition  Baskets that they sold and used the profits to start tabletop businesses in the commununities. 

At the course of my work, I ran into Widows with HIV that were stigmatised and sent out of their homes as a result of HIV. They were most vulnerable to disease,  exacerbated by stigmatisation. So I visited them frequently and ensured that they movilized themselves into a cohesive network that is today, known as,  "Hope in God Support Group". I mobilized support for them by way of begging people to donate money for them to buy rhizomes,  so that they could plant and produce to eat as food, as well as, sell to improve both thier health and economic status. We got plentyof ginger and turmeric roots planted and the women are already harvesting, eating, packaging and selling them as spices to the general public.

The UNIQUENESS about this Initiative is that,  it breaks the twin relationship between  poverty disease. If families live healthy lives, the dream of attaining the Sustainable Development Goals  talking disease and poverty, would have been achieved, as well as having households  with improved living conditions and raised standards of living in the commununities. 

THE PROBLEM MY INITIATIVE IS TRYING TO SOLVE is poverty made worst by hunger, malnutrition, disadvantage and stigmatisation of people living with HIV. 

My INITIATIVE IS IMPORTANT  because it  boots not only household  nutrition,  sanitation  and hygiene  but the general wellbeing of the people in the commununities and larger population who also benefit from the safe food produced by hitherto,  stigmatised people in the communities. 

It restores hope  and dignity to women who had resigned their fate to a life of hopelessness. It gives them and the children, confidence  and builds their self esteem. 

It also raises the economic standard of both direct beneficiaries, their children, and the general community members.

It builds the skills of the vulnerable people to educate themselves,  work together to share skills and information on how to tackle poverty and disadvantage at the roots.

It offers job opportunities  for the women and other members of the communities.

ULTIMATE GOAL. To reasonably build the capacity of Widows and children living withHIV in Calabar South, to deal with obstacles that compriomise their total wellbeing and contribute significantly to raising living standards in their community.

ACTION PLAN

Already, my Foundation is on the roadmap to reaching this desired Goal.

1. Hope in God Support Group has been formed and the Group is functional, with women uniquely leading and learning continuously.  Each member of the Group has been assigned  a responsibility that makes them all indulge in participatory activities that they part take in, with great fun and enthusiasm. 

2. Engagement in Thrift Savings /Loans Scheme. Members of the Group  are engaged in a financial scheme that offers them opportunities and tools to learn financial management and also save money that they share as stakeholders at the end of the year. They also engage  in loans schemes that they use as the profit that accrue from money borrowed out to members. The profit is used to manage their farms. 

The women are being engaged in farming turmeric and ginger to sell for profit.  Start their self-help businesses.

I work with partners to search for off-takers and buyers of their produce, across the globe.

To get them more positioned, I am sourcing for funds foe them to build a cottage industry where they can produce assorted foods, confectionaries and cosmetics , using ginger and turmeric spices powder. 

I am partnering also , with agricultural experts assisting with agro-based knowledge  that is equipping thw members with global standard of farming.

Social entrepreneurial skills has been the major part of my programme,  as the women are being thought on how they can create laudable initiatives,  use what they have got in their hands, to  turn life for the better. As Social Entrepreneurs,  they are being trained to know that they have to create positive impact in the community,  by using what they have got to create more jobs for people in the community,  particularly,  the youth,  for solving Social problems , using simple agricultural activities to keep more people reasonably engaged.

Social Engagement  strategy is one of my Foundation's way of  achieving my Goal. On October 16th, the Foundation would be bringing all the members of Hope In God Support Group  to mix and mingle  with other community members and their potential off-takers and general public, to celebrate the World Food Day that is celebrated annually.  They would be bringing their produce to display for potential buyers ro take advantage.  They would also participate in culinary activies that would promote competitions and awards of excellence given to best participants.  The essence is to promote harmonious living among the community people and eradicate disadvantage and stigmatisation. 

Main reason for this event is to use the occasion to raise funds for the set up of the proposed cottage industry for the production of native and indigenous spices in Calabar South,  Cross River State,  Nigeria. 

Ultimately, it is my Foundation 's dream to enable the women as Social Change Makers who in return, can also enable others. Thereby, expanding the global network of Social Entrepreneurs and Social Change Makers.

The 1000 Members of the Hope in God Support Group as our major beneficiaries,  are expected at the completion of our programme activities, to step-down the knowledge gained sofar, to other most vulnerable women that may be identified thereof. While the 1000 children who would benefit from our programmes would be expected to be  advocates of good Water, Sanitation and Hygiene  WASH I'm the community. 

I shall be engaging other community stakeholders in the programme activities,  for their support and safty of the project. Already, the Monarch of the community donated the land being used for farming the turmeric and ginger. He said he cannot wait to see the project thrive. 

Also, my Foundation is still looking for donors and supporters for the completion of the project.

We remain grateful to   World Pulse for creating opportunities for the groth of women everywhere.