A’isha Buhari’s cash transfer initiative

Two hundred women have benefitted from the A’isha Buhari Foundation’s Community-Based Cash Transfer Intervention in Katsina metropolis, Katsina state.
The programme was a continuation of a similar event in Daura in which 200 women were assisted with cash to grow their business.
The venue of the event was the Katsina Multipurpose Hall.
The Coordinator of A’isha Buhari Foundation, Dr.
Kamal Muhammad, who represented A’isha at the event, said the cash transfer initiative is in line with the vision of the Future Assured Programme on how to improve the health and wellbeing of women and children.
The cash transfer, he said, would lead to improvement in household income, which would, in turn improve feeding and nutritional status, school attendance and quality of education as well as improved health status of the family, among other benefits.
Again, as he pointed out, the programme would contribute to the attainment of related Sustainable Development Goals.
He, therefore, called on the beneficiaries to expand their businesses with this cash support.
But is women’s empowerment just the right thing to do? Well, there are deeper connections between gender equality and genuine sustainable development.
First, gender equality is a moral imperative and, thus, it’s simply the right thing to do.
Gender bias is still deeply embedded in cultures, economies, political and social institutions around the world.
Women and girls face unacceptable levels of discrimination and abuse, which is not only wrong, but also prevents them from playing a full part in society and decision-making.
Therefore, it’s kudos to A’isha for initiating a programme to help women.
However, more organisations need to understand and address gender imbalances and devise ways and means to help women.
After all, women are key managers of natural resources and powerful agents of change.
Assisting them will, like the Katsina state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Badiyya Hassan Mashi, said would make entrepreneurial women to expand their micro-businesses.