The Chayil Foundation empowers widows in Dodowa with skills training workshop

The Chayil Foundation, led by its founder and CEO Eileen Oduraa Ninson, recently held a free 3-day skills training workshop for widows in Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region.

The initiative, which ran from Friday, September 20th, to Sunday, September 22nd, aimed to help widows regain their self-esteem and generate sustainable income through skill development.

“We came today, yesterday, and even tomorrow for a free skills training workshop for the widows in Dodowa. The whole essence is to help them regain their self-esteem and create opportunities to generate wealth,” said Mrs. Ninson.

She emphasised that the focus of The Chayil Foundation, which operates under the tagline “The Haven of Good Works,” is to foster financial independence among widows.

The training, facilitated in partnership with the RichLove Avor Foundation and Yaphe Hair Consult, focused on practical skills such as batik tie and dye, hair growth creams, liquid soap making, and the production of ‘Azuma soap’, which is in high demand in the community.

“These are thriving skills in the community. They want to sell these products to make more money,” Mrs. Ninson explained.

In response to questions about financial support for the women after the training, she clarified that while direct monetary support is not the primary focus, they are providing the materials needed to start businesses.

“We have a subsidy scheme, and the testimonies we’ve received show that it has helped them invest in their businesses. We plan to continue this by providing materials to ensure they have the capital to start.”

She also highlighted a notable initiative from the participants themselves, which is forming a cooperative for ‘Azuma soap’ production, realising that working together as a community will help them share responsibilities and profits. According to her, this showed the commitment of the trainees to regaining financial independence.

Mrs. Ninson revealed that as a future goal, The Chayil Foundation plans to organise an exhibition to showcase the products the widows have created. She called on the community to support them in this drive so that we can all contribute to the fight against poverty in line with the SDG goals.

Reflecting on the importance of putting skills into practice, CEO of Yaphe Hair Consult, Gloria Akuamoah-Boateng, advised the participants to make the most of what they had learned. “There’s one thing about having a skill, and there’s another thing about employing that skill. If you don’t make use of it, you won’t be able to multiply your streams of income,” she remarked.

In line with The Chayil Foundation’s mission, Madam Akuamoah-Boateng expressed confidence that the widows would benefit greatly from the training, helping them achieve financial independence. “The Chayil Foundation, with its slogan ‘a haven of good works,’ has given them this opportunity. Now it’s up to them to implement it in their lives,” she stated.

In separate interviews, the widows expressed their gratitude to The Chayil Foundation for the opportunity, noting that it would help them generate income to support their families.