No fewer than 74 women, and 1,785 others spread across various parts of Nigeria, have benefited from Joan Agha Foundation’s (JAF) soft loans and training respectively targeted at empowering women in an entrepreneurial capacity for nation-building.
This was revealed by JAF Founder, Joan Agha, at the 10 years anniversary ceremony of the foundation, held over the weekend in Lagos State.
According to her, the foundation empowered each of the women with interest-free soft loans ranging from N20,000 to N200,000, even as it intends to feed 8,596 people on January 1, 2022.
JAF president stated that: “We are grateful to God for making us his legs to reach people. Just like yesterday, we launched the foundation at the Civic Centre on my 55th birthday on 9th July, 2011. It is amazing all that we have been able to do in just ten years. The summary is:
“Granted soft loans without interest of N20,000 to N200,000 to 74; trained 1,785 women on entrepreneurial capacity building; fed 8,596 people from our feeding initiative on every first day of the year in the past ten called JAF Kitchen.
Reached out to several families with various sums of money for basic food items during COVID-19 in 2020; provided educational scholarships to 37 Students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions ; and donated educational relief materials to 370 students
“In addition, we have given grants ranging from N100,000 to N150,000 to 35 youth entrepreneurs to start their businesses or expand existing businesses, and trained 1,014 youth in our entrepreneurial capacity building program.
“We have partnership with International Women Society Skill Acquisition Centre Lagos, Favoured World (Obinomba, Delta State) and Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative CYFI of the United States of America Consulate General to train youths in different skills. This is to make them productive members of society.
“We have provided 12 Sewing machines to the Youth Vocational Training Institute (Holy Family Parish) located in Kasungu, Malawi, East Africa to empower orphans with vocational skills.
“200 people have also benefited from the medical aid initiative of the foundation. We gave support in terms of welfare to the Kwale flood victims, visited the Arrow of God Orphanage Home with various items, co-host with DDEE events,” she noted.
She added that it was the hope of the foundation to impact an additional 30,000 within the next five years.
