NGO empowers 5,000 women, youths with soft loans – Chairperson

By Mustapha Yauri

Arewa Development Support Initiative (ADSI), an NGO, says no fewer than 5000 women and youths have benefitted from its skills acquisition and soft loan initiative to enhance their livelihood.

The founder and Chairperson of the organisation, Ms Khuraira Musa, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Zaria.

She said that the gesture was to reduce unemployment and encourage wealth creation in the country.

Musa said the gesture was part of the organisation’s activities to mark its five years of creation and impact on the society.

She further noted that providing a revolving fund to small business owners in areas affected by insurgency and insecurity had been the organisation’s success story.

The chairperson added that beside the 5,000 beneficiaries, others in thousands had benefited from the organisation’s medical and educational outreach programmes.

She said the organisation would collaborate with relevant agencies to boost enrollment into the initiative.

According to her, ADSI is considering partnerships with reputable organisations to uplift the lives of Arewa youths and Nigerians as a whole.

“ASDI has grown in the past five years leveraging only on our members’ dues and contributions. We are now looking outward by partnering with federal, state, and local communities including business owners that are into social enterprise.

“We will also explore grants from UN agencies and other international partners towards creating opportunities to uplift the lives of our people,’’ Musa said. (NAN)

Edited by Jacinta Nwachukwu/Muhammad Lawal