The Scarlet Cord Initiative (SCI), a non-governmental organisation, has empowered 82 widows in Kachia Local Government Area (LGA) in Southern Kaduna with skills, grants and trauma counselling.
SCI Patron, Prof. Sunday Agang, made the state disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Jos.
Agang said that the gesture was to help the widows rebuild their lives after the demise of their husbands in violent attacks.
The patron stated that healing was paramount for the widows, and that’s why the NGO deemed it fit to conduct a free trauma counselling session, as “trauma freezes and makes the future scary” for the widows.
He stressed that sustainable recovery for the region depended on such holistic support for its most vulnerable and called for expanded partnerships to increase this critical humanitarian presence.
Similarly, Ms Mercy Anku, a facilitator at the event, said women who were still counting their losses could not be taught how to count their business profits; that’s why the session commenced with trauma counselling.
Anku said the women who were counselled were empowered with financial literacy, business management and how to transform skills into viable products.
The Executive Director of the Organisation, Mrs Esther Badung, appealed for partnership, stating that traditional aid was insufficient.
“Aid is like a painkiller. Real empowerment is the cure,” she said.
Badung noted that major aid programmes often bypass those in remote communities and called for partnerships with other charities, faith-based groups, and government agencies to provide sustained support, startup capital, and educational opportunities.
The executive said that the participant designed a detailed plan for a specific enterprise, such as food processing, poultry farming, or nursery gardening.
According to her, the two-day training commenced on Jan 30 and ended on Jan 31.
