By Tajudeen Adebanjo
The Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) Lagos State chapter has trained members on how to be self-sustained.
Members of the association were trained on facemasks, sanitisers and liquid soaps making.
The initiative, FOMWAN Amirah Dr. Halimah Egberongbe said, was to ensure a surplus of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the state.
The materials were distributed to their Makoko to host community and other areas in the state where FOMWAN operates.
Dr Egberongbe said the association replaced some of their annual FOMWAN Week’s activities to accommodate the training.
She said: “The week is usually marked with all sorts of activities ranging from community development, humanitarian activities, lectures, seminars, and symposia.
But due to the current situation, we have decided that rather than engage in bringing people from places, we thought of limiting the week’s activities to local governments. All our local government branches are mandated to do some humanitarian activities in their communities.
“We were able to make soaps, hand sanitizer, nose masks and we distributed them to the local government for the less privileged.”
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FOMWAN National Chairperson, Community Development and Humanitarian Services, Alhaja Khairat Sodique, said the humanitarian gesture was meant to empower FOMWAN members while assisting our host communities.
“Empowering communities was in line with our mission. We thought of something which we can do for our members to make them self-sustained, so we decided to teach them how to make soap, disinfectants, sanitisers and facemasks. These materials were also given out as part of our contribution to curb the spread of COVID-19,” she said.
The Baale (Head) of Makoko, Prince Adekunle Olaiya, hailed FOMWAN for the gesture.
“What they do today is good; it will go a long way to assist people of Makoko and also curb the spread of Coronavirus in our community.
This is not the first time FOMWAN is coming up with this type of humanitarian gesture in Makoko. It is every year they do it, and they have different programmes.
Apart from soap making, there are also numerous things they have done to people in this community.
Today, they have not only given fish to people, they have also taught people how to fish,” Prince Olaiya said.
He urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the training by producing in large quantities and sell to the general public.
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