We’ve impacted over 1.5m lives in Cross River — Women’s group

By Emma Una, Calabar

THE lives of more than one million, five hundred thousand rural residents in Cross River have been impacted in the past four years through the concerted efforts of women who organised themselves into groups to work for improvement in women’s rights.

Efforts of the women target the enhancement of their economic wellbeing , skills acquisition and reduction in poverty which is widespread in communities particularly among the female population,

The group known as Women Voice and Leadership Project says it has in the past four years networked among grassroots population across the state to reach the women through support of organisations and co-operation of the women.

Making this known at the weekend while speaking with Vanguard, Ms Niri Oyiti, a Programmes Manager with Action Aid said most women in rural communities are weak economically owing to factors which affect their wellbeing.

“In the last four years, we have been working in rural communities in Cross River to eradicate poverty with the support of Global Affairs Canada by reaching and strengthening women to improve their lives through social social
support, economic enablement, skills trainings, awareness creation and provision of agricultural inputs”

She said a network of fifteen women’s and girls groups across the three geopolitical zones of the state were brought together to identify and address women challenges and this has significantly impacted the lives of women and girls in the state.

“We believe that when one talks about poverty , women are more vulnerable and make up the larger population of the poor and this subjects them to gender based violence, poor education, early marriages, poor health which affects their wellbeing.

Ms Oyiti said women are subjected to multiple taxation, lack of inheritance and denial of leadership spaces which mutes their voice so what they are doing inconjunction with Action Aid is to work to promote women’s rights and make their voices heard.

According to her, their efforts in the past four years have improved women participation in politics, personal life awareness, identification and taking up opportunities where such exists without shying away from competition alongside their male counterparts and this had paid off greatly.

“The Ministry of Women Affairs has been observing our efforts in rural communities and has confirmed that the lives of women have been impacted significantly in the past four years. Girls that were not able to attend schools have been assisted to acquire skills to earn money and go back to school and those who are trading are enabled with financial packages to improve their businesses”


She stated that through the effort of the organisation, over taxation of market women through multiple taxation has significantly reduced which gives the women more income for their efforts.

“In the past tax agents bully these women to pay as much as three thousand naira in a day virtually wiping away all their profits but we partnered with tax authorities in the state to stem this extortion because the women were defenceless”

She called on government to sustain the gains made by the group by building craft centres and eradicating the use of touts in tax collection.

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