About this time last year, while on trip to Nigeria, I was able to meet some low-income women in Pakuro Village, Ogun state and hear their stories of hope and growth in their businesses. They had been trained in vocational skills and received business grants from @si4dev

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Based on a positive outcome, @sid_initiative funded Street Business School (SBS) by SI4DEV, a mobile classroom delivered in the most vulnerable communities we serve. The SBS project has coached and mentored 75 low-income women to build self-confidence and develop business skills.

Between February and March this year, I celebrated with @si4dev as two classes each in Abuja and Kano, and one in Bayelsa graduated. More than 75% of the women successfully completed their required business school modules.

You can imagine how heartbreaking it was, when due to COVID-19 shutdowns, the SBS project was postponed. The class in Lagos was left with their final module and graduation pending.

I was troubled when news of the dire need among these women came from the @si4dev master trainer

Due to the extended shutdowns, their self-confidence is spluttering and their nascent petty trading enterprises, bolstered during the 6-months SBS coaching, are basically dead. Many of them basically have no other means of earning their usual meagre livelihood.

Many have used up their little savings, and in most cases their capital, to keep feeding their children. This has made many of the women desperate because they cannot cater to their immediate and extended families who previously relied and looked up to them.

Some told our volunteers in confidence that they were prepared to flout the government rules on precautionary and preventive measures against COVID-19 just to meet up to their family obligations.

Some could not pay rent and were facing eminent evictions; others could not take children or parents to hospitals or to buy prescribed medications. Many could not pay their phone voice or data charges in order to call family or take advantage of government palliatives.

Such an unconditional gift will give dignity to the women and allow them time and mental space to prioritize keeping their families healthy.

This is one of those times when the covid-29 response has a gender angle @unwomenafrica @UNWomenWatch #COVID19Lagos #COVID19

Please join us to give cash and remove shame from these vulnerable women entrepreneurs who have only just begun to claw their way out of poverty only to be cast down again by these challenging times.

You can donate online to the SI4DEV #COVID19 Fund at http://goto.gg/46120 

To contribute to the SI4DEV COVID-19 Response Fund in Nigeria and help reach more SBS by SI4DEV project women, please donate via bank transfer:

Bank Name: GTbank
Account Name: Strategy and Innovation for Development Initiative
Account Number: 0366172770

@Omojuwa @ayosogunro @DrJoeAbah @goodnaijagirl @DoubleEph @elnathan_john please check out this thread and help retweet. Thanks!