The Agro Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) has supported 100 People living With Disabilities (PWDs) with training, inputs and seedlings to create employment for them and make them self-reliant.
Kaduna state Project Coordinator, Appeals Kaduna state, Dr. Yahaya Aminu, said the beneficiaries who were drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state, were people with one form of disability or the other, who hitherto were discriminated against and have no proper means of income, but with the appeals intervention, they will become agripreneurs who can now take care of themselves, their families and even employ other people.
“The Appeals project women and youth empowerment project is implemented in Kaduna and five other states to take agriculture and business as source of employment. The objective is to enhance productivity and value addition to priority value chain. There is a specific allocation for people with disabilities, government is supporting 100 people with disabilities.
“We are here for the establishment of business enterprises for people with disabilities (PWD) so that they would become self employed and employers of labour so that they would be self reliant and stop relying on others. So that the slogan there is ability in disability would not just be word of mouth. We are supporting them with business training, bank approval, registration with CAC, approval of business plan and grant paid into their business account. We are encouraging them by making available service providers to provide them with inputs,” he said.
The Deputy Director, Kaduna state Disability Affairs Board, Malam Hassan Suleiman, said the Appeals support aimed at making the people with disability self reliant.
“The support is to encourage our people to be self reliant through farming, poultry, fishery and other engagements. They are giving them training, inputs and money to make it more meaningful and successful. The beneficiaries are from all over Kaduna state. One of the major challenges with people with disability is lack of acceptance and employability which this intervention is expected to resolve,” he said.
One if the beneficiaries, Malam Nasir Muhammed Adamu, who is crippled, said the Appeals intervention has changed his life and the life of his family forever.
“I’m here as a beneficiary of Appeals project Kaduna state. I’m benefiting under maize processing. I’m going to be trained as a company holder to process the maize into liquid form and sell to customers. The impact is huge on me and my family. I will use the opportunity to train myself and my family,” he said.
