Over 600 Women Lives Transformed In Sangotedo

Ever heard the saying “empower a woman, empower a nation”?

Graduates with palpable joy after receiving their start-up kits.

On Friday, October 02, 2020, Coca-Cola in line with its commitment to women empowerment, graduated 612 women from a one-month intensive vocational training tagged “Catalyst for Change”. The training which was conducted in partnership with the Karis and Eleos Foundation was designed to aid economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the vocational skills that the students learned include; baking, sewing, wig making, tie and dye, shoe and bag making, soap and household items production as well as recycling. 100 students out of the 612 graduates were presented with brand new start-up kits for their different areas of interest.

The Valedictorian, Ekhator Esther Clara, profusely thanked the Coca-Cola Foundation, as well as the Karis and Eleos Foundation for providing them with this invaluable experience. According to her, beyond the vocational skills that were taught, they were also equipped with soft skills like personal branding, use of social media for business, financial literacy and networking, to mention a few. She also encouraged her fellow participants and graduates not to have a limiting mindset.

The faces of the graduates beamed with joy and a sense of fulfilment as they exhibited their products from the training and also received a certificate of completion. The women also recounted their experience during the training and shared their eagerness to set up their own businesses. This initiative was launched two months ago by The Coca-Cola Foundation and has empowered several hundreds of women across different regions.

According to the Public Affairs, Communication and sustainability Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, “Women are not only essential to building thriving communities – we truly believe they represent one of the biggest accelerators to economic growth globally”.

That is why Coca-Cola has been commitment to economically empowering women over the past 10 years to build sustainable communities she said.

The founder of Karis and Eleos foundation admonished the students to engage in continuous self-development even as they graduate from the vocational school. She urged them to never compromise on quality and emphasized the importance of saving.

It was a very emotional day as the students and members of the Sangotedo community were overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to The Coca-Cola Foundation, their facilitators and the Karis and Eleos foundation.

With grants of over $800,000 from the Coca-Cola Foundation to multiple local NGOs, several recycling and women empowerment programs are being implemented to cater to environmental protection issues whilst empowering women who are significant pillars of the environment.