By Linus Aleke
As part of an effort to combat poverty, and infant and maternal mortality, as well as guarantee food security, a women’s organization under the umbrella of Feminist Coalition has taken a step to consolidate its empowerment of widows and single mothers through agriculture, with specific emphasis on poultry farming.
The group in a statement on Monday said it is collaborating with Amo Farms Sieberer Hatchery Ltd, to launch the second phase of the farming initiative to empower low-income women in Nigeria.
The statement also disclosed that the coalition focuses on championing equality for women in Nigeria.
The group recalled that in June 2022, it began the pilot program of the farming initiative in collaboration with Amo Farms Sieberer Hatchery Ltd, a Nigerian poultry company that created the Noiler Chicken.
The aim of the initiative, the group noted is to provide low-income women, the majority of whom are single mothers and widows, with resources to start a poultry business which would then provide both food and income for their families.
The statement said, “at the start of the pilot, each beneficiary received 20 chicks, some for rearing for sale and others for consumption while using part of their revenue to purchase more Noiler chicks. Six months into the initiative, the beneficiaries are beginning to see profits from the sales of their chickens and following this success, the Feminist Coalition will be adding more women to the program”.
Speaking on the collaboration with Amo Farms Sieberer Hatchery Ltd, a founding member of the Feminist Coalition, Ms Laila Johnson Salami, said, the Noiler Chicken is a dual-purpose chicken breed that produces 4 times more eggs and 3 times more meat than other chicken breeds native to Nigeria.
Amo Farms, she said, developed this breed to address issues of infant and maternal mortality, food insecurity and hunger, especially among women and children.
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Ms. Laila noted that with poverty and food insecurity on the rise in Nigeria, rearing Noilers can provide families with more stability.
The Co-Founder of Feminist Coalition, Ms Damilola Odufuwa, said, the consequences of poverty and hunger are greatest for women and children, with many low-income mothers who are also primary caregivers, currently fighting to protect their kids from malnutrition.
“Based on the success of this pilot, over the next few years, the Feminist Coalition plans to empower more low-income women across Nigeria through several SME & farming projects. The organisation’s first project, the Feminist Coalition Girls Education Program is still ongoing,” she revealed.
Launched in September 2021, the annual full scholarship & mentorship program is for brilliant young girls from low-income backgrounds in Nigeria, whose largest barrier to quality education is financial.
The scholarship, the group said, not only includes full tuition payments but also covers the boarding house fees, co-curricular activities, examination fees and other necessary school requirements and logistics.
“Today, the first set of FemCo scholars are in their second year of secondary school and thriving in their new environment,” the statement concluded.
