International Women’s Day: Spaces For Change Engage Women Of Oil Producing Communities, Harps on the need to build capacity
Following the globally celebrated International Women’s Day, on the 8th of March 2023, Spaces for Change a non profitable and non governmental organization have engaged Women of Elele , Ezi- Orsu and Assa communities all in Oguta Local government Area of lmo state on the need to participate fully in the activities of the community to give women a voice.
This message was given to them when the organization S4C engaged the women in commemoration of the international women’s day held in their Owerri Office along MCC Uratta road.
Speaking during the activity on the theme “Inclusion of Women and Youths Groups in Natural Resource Governance” the Community Relations Officer for the organization, Miss Kenny Aderogba said that the aim of the meeting was to take women out of their comfort zone, making them to be fully involved in the activities of the oil producing communities.
She further noted that women are mostly marginalized when it comes to community related issues and are not given opportunities to explore their God given potentials .
The Community Relation Officer retreated that, most women in the above mentioned communities are constantly being shut out from the scheme of things and are they are not given opportunities to participate in community activities but saddled with the burden of maternal care.
“With our research in the course of community work we do in (S4C) women have be relegated to the back ground, while the same women are the worst hit, when anything goes wrong in the community “.
“For instance, in the the three communities mentioned, in event of oil spillage, you will find out that it’s still the women that will go a long distance to fetch drinking water that the family will use, but when it comes to benefiting, they will be shoved off completely by the men who are mean to protect them”.
She used the opportunity to called on the government and relevant authorities to look into women inclusion in Assa, Elele and Ezi Orsu Communities in other to give women a sense of belonging.
In her the contribution, the legal adviser to the NGO and also one of the key presenter during the meeting, Barr Mrs Chetachi Udeh said that a lot of human right abuses are being perpetrated at the community level against women and children, adding that there has to be an end to these in order to move the communities forward.
She added that women are human beings first, before being a woman called for coexist as human beings.
“As women, we need to build, empower ourselves for us to represent in the society.
According to her, Spaces For Change wants women to be part of oil negotiations in order for them to project their issues in their communities.
Also in her speech, Legal adviser Ohaji Egbema, Barr Mrs Joy Chioma Anyanwu said “we are here to change the story, the essence of this gathering is to change the narratives.
She noted that women are not fighting with men, rather, they are only asking for what is God’s given right to them as human beings.
She also advised women to always support themselves rather than be a tool when it comes to fighting their follow women.
Barr. Joy added that women have proven capacity in different aspects of life, therefore should not be taken as second class humans who are not worthy to handle issues in the communities and in work spaces.
Some of the participants present at the meeting who spoke to Trumpeta, thanked Spaces For Change for the opportunity to brains storm and analyse issues affecting women in the area and promised to step down the training to women in their community who could not attend the meeting.
