The Women Farmers Advancement Network has organised a youth day event to celebrate the accomplishments of women and youth farmers in the Tofa community of Kano State to commemorate International Youth Day.
During the event, which took place on Tuesday at the WOFAN-Tofa Youth Conservation Centre, Daily Trust reported that young community partners of the WOFAN-ICON2 project shared their stories to motivate others.
Integrated Community-led Network of Hope is a project, which is supported by the Mastercard Foundation, aimed at empowering 675,000 Nigerian youths over five years for young people to develop and sustain livelihoods that lead to an improved quality of life.
Speaking at the event, a young individual living with a disability, Hamisu Yusuf, said his journey is one from being a beggar on the streets of Tofa to becoming a successful entrepreneur in waste management and recycled materials, specializing in crafting durable footwear.
He said with guidance and training from WOFAN, he was introduced to effective agronomic practices and received start-up capital, which enabled him to hire workers for his farm, which increased his yield and rapidly boosted his profits.
A young woman, Hajara Uba, who said she dropped out of school and was forced to marry at the age of 16, said since enrolling in WOFAN’s skill acquisition programme, she underwent training spanning a range of income-generating activities, ultimately enabling her to meet her child’s and family’s needs.
On his part, the Hakimi of Tofa, Sanusi Abubakar Tofa, expressed gratitude for the efforts of WOFAN in the lives of the women and youth in his community.
