Driven by the desire to empower women in rural communities, we launched the pilot phase of the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and Bayer Foundation in Jama’a and Kaura LGAs of Kaduna State in 2024.
We kick-started this 3-year project aimed at eradicating poverty and elevating the standard of living of 35,000 women farmers and households by 30% through innovative interventions in Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, and Healthcare, by training 400 women in vocational skills such as bag making, shoe making, cosmetology, catering, tailoring, and hairdressing. In a similar vein, 600 women were trained in the Vertical Sack Farming System (VSF) Program for tomato, chilli pepper, and cabbage.
We were super excited to see our beneficiaries record a staggering 94% increase in farm yields and establish 421 community gardens, thereby transforming the economic landscape of Kaduna State. We look forward to witnessing greater results as the second phase unfolds.