Bags of rice, School bags, Soaps, Buckets and some other items presented to the people of Dafara and Kabusa Village by Arise Women team, an NGO in Abuja recently
Like a crying baby craving for mother’s breast milk, residents of Dafara and Kabusa villages in the Abuja suburb have welcomed with open arms their ‘divine helper’, Arise Women, a non-faith based non governmental organization championed by delectable, philanthropic lawyer of decades, Dr Siju Iluyomade.
Without mincing words, the first effort of Arise Women for the people of Dafara when it formally adopted the village was just a stepping stone for more benevolence that came the way of the deprived residents. In 2018, the NGO built a community hospital, computerized library, boreholes and it provided de-worming vaccines and distributed thousands of back-to-school items to the children. Rice, buckets and other items were also given out.
Dr Iluyomade is wife of, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, the Presiding Pastor of the most famous redeemed church in the country, Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, City of David, Lagos, but the NGO is devoid of tribe, religion or ethnicity. This obviously has reflected in its humanitarian and empowerment activities in the past 11years.
In her words at the event last year, Dr. Iluyomade promised the people more and constant aids. “Arise has adopted Dafara in its scheme, we now have projects running here for the benefits of all of you. We will be monitoring and we will be back in 2019.”
Iluyomade’s drive to help the needy since 2008 when Arise Women took effect, has indeed blossomed. The need to help, particularly womenfolk, has increasingly endeared her to many beyond the shores of Africa.
This events of Friday November 29th & Saturday 30th 2019 would continue to be remembered by people of Dafara and the new adopted village, Kabusa. Iluyomade’s milk of kindness was spread to the young and old in both villages. It will interest many to know that, over 100 members of Arise Women landed in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to join other members in a bid to effectively carry out the various empowerment activities lined up for the people of the villages.
The team’s first port of call was the L.E.A Primary School, Dafara, where residents were engaged in different kind of vocational skills. This training had started a day before the formal commencement of activities. These vocational trainings carried out by professionals include fashion and sewing, leather works, catering, soap making, hairdressing and barbing, food processing and value added farming, meant to make the villagers self reliant.
Accompanied by Chief Joseph Magani, the Head of Dafara village who was full of praises for Dr Iluyomade and her team, the NGO then commissioned a well equipped Arise Skills Acquisition and Empowerment Academy, a specially constructed hub for different entrepreneurial skills.
Before moving to Kabusa the following day for the continuation of the empowerment programme, the Arise Women team organized a dinner at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja to officially unveil the Arise Women Farmers Foundation, established to encourage women farming.
Wherever Arise Women can be provided land, we gathered that it would make provisions for seedling, fertilizers and other necessary items to aid seamless farming process.
The night witnessed the attendance of First Lady of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs Aisha Buhari, ably represented by wife of former Governor of Zamfara State, Hajia Asmau Yari; Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen; Wife of Niger State Governor, Dr Amina Bello, represented by Hajia Zainab Bima; Hajia Bola Shagaya, among many other dignitaries.
Speaking at the occassion, Mrs Tallen who expressed joy over the compassion displayed by Mrs Iluyomade and her Arise Women team in giving support to rural women in particular through the farming initiative said;
“No woman should go to bed hungry, when you empower a woman, you have empowered the whole family. I have trust in women, all the loans given to women have been paid back, women are better managers. I have met the people in charge of fertilizers and they have assured me of support to my ministry. We will make it available together with loans for farmers in the foundation because I have followed the tremendous empowerment and support Arise Women has given women both in Lagos and Abuja in the last ekeven years with over 10,000 lives touched,” she said.
In her own contribution, Hajia Yari said the wife of the president was thrilled by the enormous spirit put into this course by Arise Women.
”She has often reiterated her passion to always put any issue that concerns women on front burner and she said she is proud to be part of this great NGO championed by Dr Iluyomade to uplift women especially from the grassroots level,” Hajia Yari stated.
The Convener, Dr Iluyomade, while appreciating the wife of the president and other dignitaries, for honouring her invitation, said;
“My passion is for every woman no matter their status or position to come out of their shells and bloom because every woman possesses special qualities that need to be identified and tapped into.”
On Saturday the 30th of November, 2019, the Kabusa residents trooped out enmasse to the .E.A Primary School, Kabusa, for the Dr Iluyomade and Arise Women support. Free medical care was provided to thousands of those nursing different ailments. The second day witnessed the presence of wife of Kebbi State governor, Hajia Zainab Bagudu and wife of Niger State governor, Hajia Amina Bello represented by Hajia Zainab Bima.
Among other things, the NGO commissioned a new borehole for the community and enlisted hundreds of women into Arise Women Farmers’ Foundation while it distributed over 10,000 different items including bags of rice, school bags, soaps, buckets and back-to-school items for the kids.
At the close of the events, Dr. Iluyomade was presented with the village’s special attire and pronounced as the grand patron of the Kabusa Community, Abuja.
MOTHER OF THE FIRST BABY BORN AT THE HOSPITAL BUILT BY ARISE WOMEN, CONVENER, ARISE WOMEN, DR ILUYOMADE AND HEAD, DAFARA COMMUNITY, CHIEF JOSEPH MAGANI
DR ILUYOMADE COMMISSIONING THE ARISE SKILLS ACQUISITION AND EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY
DR ILUYOMADE COMMISSIONING THE NEW BOREHOLE BUILT AT KABUSA, BESIDE HER IS HAJIA ZAINAB BIMA, REPRESENTING THE WIFE OF NIGER STATE GOVERNOR, HAJIA AMINA BELLO
WIFE OF KEBBI STATE GOVERNOR, HAJIA ZAINAB BAGUDU WITH DR ILUYOMADE DISTRIBUTING ARISE WOMEN BACK-TO-SCHOOL ITEMS TO CHILDREN OF KABUSA VILLAGE
wife of Former Governor of Zamfara State, Mrs Asmau Yari, representing Mrs Aisha Buhari, Convener Arise Women, Dr Siju Iluyomade, Hajia Zainab Bima, representing wife of Niger State Governor, Mrs Amina Bello and Minster of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen during the dinner organized by the NGO to commemorate 11th anniversary and formal launch of Arise Women’s Farmers Foundation in Abuja on Friday 29th Nov. 2019
