The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced the successful completion of two projects under the 2020 Julia Taft Refugee Fund.
The projects were implemented in Cross River State by two local non-governmental organizations, Mediatrix Development Foundation (MDF) and Gender and Development Action (GADA), with the aim of providing technical skills to Cameroonian refugees.
The two organizations received a total of N9.5million to run the programmes in Calabar Municipal, Calabar South, and Akamkpa local government areas (LGAs).
MDF conducted entrepreneurship and business vocational training to achieve self-reliance and economic sustainability in the refugee resettlements.
They successfully trained 50 refugees and host community members in agriculture, cosmetology, craft production, and tailoring in Akamkpa LGA.
GADA provided 50 women refugees in Calabar Municipal and Calabar South LGAs with vocational training in marketing and sales, book-keeping, simple accounting, and other effective problem-solving skills.
Speaking on the event, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, noted, “It is never easy to leave one’s country of origin. These Julia Taft Refugee Fund projects promoted inclusion and a sense of welcome within communities to ensure the newly relocated families received skills and a path forward for self-sustainability.”
One of the beneficiaries, Ntui Favour Eyang lived in a village in Cameroon where she owned a kiosk.
However, life changed in 2017 when war reached her village, forcing her to flee to Nigeria with her son.
Following the training, she intends to use what she learned in the programme as a template for success in her new business in Nigeria.
