Senator Florence Ita-Giwa has inaugurated a garri processing plant in Ikpiri Obutong built by Care for Social Welfare International, CASWI, for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Inaugurating the plant on Good Friday in Bakassi, Ita-Giwa who was represented by Mr Eyo Bassey, Member Representing Bakassi State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly thanked CASWI, a Non-Governmental Organisation for the gesture.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project which was implemented by CASWI was funded by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund with support from UN Women.
While speaking on the project, the former senator of Cross River’s Southern Senatorial District appealed to the women whom the project was meant for to use the project wisely and ensure its sustainability.
After listening to some of their concerns she said as a support to make the project better for the women, there would be concrete flooring of the garri frying area and walls to protect the local ovens.
“As part of our support for the project, we will ensure that there is a provision of borehole water and toilet facility around the plant.
“This model is good, we are going to replicate it in other parts of Bakassi as a source of empowerment for the Bakassi returnees and indigenes of the LGA,” she maintained.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr Ifeanyi Damian, Project Manager for CASWI, said the initiative titled Women Household Empowerment Project was aimed at empowering displaced women.
Damian said the project would give the women a chance to become socially and economically active in their community while enabling them to participate in the course of women’s inclusion in leadership and decision-making.
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“Today, we celebrate a landmark achievement for the Bakassi returnees and IDP women; through our funders and technical support partners, CASWI has been able to establish a five-ton-per-hour garri processing mill for displaced women of Bakassi.
“This is to ensure they are financially independent and to increase their voices in this community to effectively participate in peacebuilding and economic recovery of the Bakassi community.
“We call on stakeholders to support this initiative by providing more raw cassava to the women cooperative groups that have been established under the project to coordinate the women and ensure sustainability,” Damian said.
Similarly, Mrs Happiness Edet, one of the Women Leaders in the camp who spoke to NAN said life has been very tough for them in the camp with the high rate of poverty and insecurity but the garri processing plant was a blessing to them.
Edet said she believed that with the project which they would which they would sustain, more women in the camp would be empowered.