Feature
Early in the year, Grooming Centre, Nigeria’s leading microfinance NGO celebrated some of its members including 30 women who told the story of their lives and businesses through the lens of a photo book: Stories of Impact: Real Women, Real Lives, Real Growth, with Oby Ezekwesili as the reviewer. Nduka Nwosu who was there reports
It was a mood of celebration accentuated by the virtual presence of Oby Ezekwesili former Education Minister, and Director of Budgetsometime this year. Ezekwesili was the reviewer of a photo book:
Stories of Impact: Real Women, Real Lives, Real Growth, published by the Grooming Centre, an NGO and microfinance company based in Ejigbo Lagos.
Admittedly, Ezekwesili’s presence added colour to the event attended by the creme de la creme of society, the big guns of the Nigerian microfinance sector and the 33 women whose lives and businesses have been impacted by their partnership with this brilliant outfit that keeps churning out innovative ideas on how to move the lot of humanity to the next level.
Dede Mabiaku, a disciple of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, a grassroots advocate, livened the occasion with his pulsating band that provided old school danceable renditions, which was an exhilarating aside.
There was so much to eat and drink not when Grooming Centre was showcasing the success story of these 30 women who have benefited so much from its membership of the Centre.
As the founder of the organisation Godwin Nwabunka once said, the business of microfinance all over the world has been justified by the presence and partnership with the female folk. Women are more committed when they borrow money; they keep to the rules of the game; they belong to thrift organisations and cooperative associations where basic principles must be complied with.
The acknowledgement and celebration of these women from various parts of the country connected with a familiar environment and situation known to Dr. Ezekwesili, a former Presidential aspirant. When a family from ground zero springs from the dust, from nothing to something, it calls for a handclap and a victory song to the Almighty. The story of the grassroots is the story of millions of young men and women, of the youth of Nigeria, who were denied the opportunity to rise to stardom, to maximise their talents. Some end up as criminals where their brilliance is exited like a dying star.
Therefore, when a loan finance company, a talent hunter, a humanitarian organisation such as Grooming Centre recognises and aggregates these human frailties into a portfolio basket of products, and confronts each one headlong for positive change, whether it is a product to confront poverty, lack of education, or ill health, a revolution is kick started. The presence of an Ezekwesili whose campaigns against the social ills of society, galvanised the event for another crusade for societal evolution.
As stated in the book, Grooming Centre currently has over 700,000 members (about half the population of Hawaii), each of whom deserves to be celebrated, and “while it would be impossible to tell all their stories, we chose to start by telling the stories of 30 women who, in their own everyday way, are visionaries chasing dreams, building businesses and changing lives-their own lives and those of others,” Nwabunka adds. As he put it, these women have diverse backgrounds and varying levels of formal education, “but they are all business savvy and hard working. As you read their stories, you will find that they have overcome diverse challenges-business related or personal while building and sustaining their businesses.
“Their success despite that, is worth celebrating, and providing them with resources to overcome challenges, is the reason Grooming Centremwas conceived in the first place.” Grooming Centre was established or founded by Nwabunka in 2006.”
Olaitan Okubena, clothing store owner based in Kubwa Abuja tells her story: “My neighbour introduced me to Grooming and I began taking the loans for a business I started 15 years ago, but I eventually closed that business because my husband and I moved down here. One day my new neighbour in this area introduced me to Grooming again. I joined a group here, and I have to say the money has helped me a lot. After the experience of closing my old shop, I was motivated to get back into business because I had lived with my sister and my mother and helped them with their own businesses as well. For ten years I would go to Dubai on behalf of my elder sister. So, when I got this shop, a friendof mine suggested that I do the same business as my sister since that is familiar territory and that was how I started with this second shop,
For small scale businesses like mine, it is hard to get a loan from a bank, but Grooming has made it possible for us to access loans. That has made a great impact in my life; it has helped me to grow. It does not take more than a week for me to get the money. Any time I want to travel to buy goods, I add the loan to money I have made from the store, and it is enough for me to buy everything I need. It is also easy to make the repayments. It is important for me to run my own business because I cannot be asking my husband for money all the time or anyone else for that matter.”
Coming thus far with Grooming, Mrs. Okubena can assert with confidence that having her own business has empowered her and without any encumbrances on her family. “I set it up in such a way that it will not affect my family. My house is close to my shop and the rent here is very affordable.
“So, I cannot say I have any challenges. It will not be wise for me to go and rent an expensive shop in a busier area where I would struggle to pay the rent. However, I would like to open another store and sell different things there, especially in the Village Market when it is finally open.”
Ahead of the resumption of schools Mrs. Afolabi Rebecca can be seen sewing a lunchbox for sale. On the other hand, Mrs. Blessing Idowu-Fanu, in her Karu Abuja shop, markets plastic wares and household goods, and Mrs. Njoku is seen proudly standing beside her decorations and accessories, originals that put a stamp of creativity to her products.
Adds Nwabunka: “Many of our members testify that the loans they receive from the Centre are a lifeline used to scale their businesses, increase their income and improve their personal lives.” What do you make of Mrs. Felicia Kenbi, with hands of gratitude and praise stretched in the air? Her business success prodded by the Grooming Centre has inspired her desire to make a success out of other people.
Again, Nwabunka underscores this gesture and mood in his opening remark or preface to cover in the photo book: “Oftentimes, when entrepreneurship, success, career growth and impact are celebrated in society, people look to the moguls and executives at the top, ignoring the contribution of millions in the informal sector especially those of women who run small businesses. However, over a decade of supporting and engaging with hundreds of thousands of these women, Grooming People for Better Livelihood Centre (Grooming Centre) understands the magnitude of their contributions to the progress of their households, society, and the Nigerian economy at large.” Mrs. Bukky Moshood, a bead maker agrees with Mrs. Okubena that Grooming Centre has made it easy for small business owners like them to access loans.
Back in Lokoja Kogi State, Teni Abdullahi and her young daughter are found in their grain shop attending to customers while Mrs. Ishola with her apprentice is in her Sango Ogun State premises roasting cow skin to edible meat known in local parlance as pomo. Fish traders Mrs. Adrat Oluwa and Mrs. Aishat Ojebisi with her son, can be seen in their Awoyaya community in Lagos State where they ply their trade hugely protected and warmly covered by a reliable umbrella, the Grooming Centre.
Alice Ogbonna, a farmer whose daughter Mrs. Ifeoma Nwaeje runs a provision store in Abia State, and both of whom are in the Grooming Centre family, tells her story: “I farm and supply vegetables-ugu, waterleaf, ncho-anwu (scent leaf) and garden eggs to traders. For many years I was managing my farm with what money I had, but every time I had to wait till planting season before I could buy seeds and by then it was always quite expensive. I had long heard about microfinance organisations that give loans but everyone around me used to say they are dubious, so I did not go near any.
She continues: “When I joined Grooming Centre, my experience was different from what I had heard. In 2013 I became a member and the first loan I got was N20,000.00. I spent it on farming tools and seeds. Because of the loan, I was able to buy leaf seeds for planting when the prices were low, and I stored them until planting season.
This helped me to make more money. “Grooming Centre’s loans are good and profitable. I used my profit to finish raising some of my children. They all went to secondary school and are now running their individual businesses. All of them are independent; they live on theirown. Grooming is so good that I advised my first daughter, Ifeoma Nwaeje, to join so she can use it to grow her provisions store business. Ever since she started collecting the loans too, her business has also been growing.”
Nwabunka adds his voice to underscore the Grooming Centre experience and the totality of its quest to liberate its fold from the shackles of poverty, illiteracy and sickness beginning with financial empowerment and keeping everyone constructively busy since an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. His imprimatur: “Each of these women has been utilising the Centre’s credit facilities for at least two years and their stories highlight the impact of microfinance in realising and fulfilling their potential. As they recount the paths they have journeyed in business, one cannot help but salute their courage, resilience, and skill. Many of them share insights into the peculiarities of living and working at the bottom of the pyramid in Nigeria, what it takes to be successful in business and how they balance work and family.”
Nwabunka concludes: “These accounts of the challenges, successes and dreams of the future, have been translated from local languages and pidgin English and summarised for the purpose of this publication, but they are all straight from the mouths of our featured members. These are stories of real women, their real growth, and the real impact they make daily on the lives of their families and on the economy. They are true stories of impact, and we celebrate them. Be inspired!”
