Estimated reading time: 10 minute(s)
A 75-year-old woman Mama Zainab Ishaku Gbata Community in WambaG Gbatain Nasarawa state mobilised women n the area to save part of their five thousand naira Cash Transfer to fix the only borehole in the area.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered succor finally came the way of the community following efforts of a group of twenty women who utilized their savings from the N5000 Conditional Cash Transfer monthly payment to reactivate the only borehole in the area to provide water to the community
It was further gathered that for many years , access to portable water has been a major challenge to most communities in the State.
It was gathered that residents of Gbata Community in Wamba Local Government Area of Nasarawa State usually trekked several miles in search of water.
But, the contribution made by the women who were mobilised by the septuagenarian ended their suffering .
Conditional Cash Transfer Programne is the Federal Government initiative aimed at improving on the welfare and living conditions of citizens through monthly payment of N5000 stipend for identified poorest of the poor especially the aged, women and orphans.
In Nasarawa State, the Conditional Cash Transfer Programne is being implemented in six local government areas of Akwanga, Kokona, Wamba, Lafia, Nasarawa and Awe with over 48000 beneficiaries.
Mama Zainab is one of the oldest and largest communities in Wamba Local Government Area of Nasarawa State with about two thousand households.
The community has over the years, been faced with hard times due to non availability of portable water as residents especially women trekked long miles in search of water from any available source for their daily use.
However, succor finally came the way of the community following efforts of a group of twenty women who utilized their savings from the N5000 Conditional Cash Transfer monthly payment to reactivate the only borehole in the area to provide water to the community.
It was gathered that the women installed water tanks and taps at strategic places in the area such as the only Government primary school and health care Centre the central mosque as well as major settlements to supply water in all areas within the community.
In an interview, over eighty years old village Head of Gbata, Alhaji Zakari Yahaya said the borehole was donated by an anonymous person during the outbreak of cholera in the area which claimed many lives five years ago.
He said that since the borehole broke down, several appeals to Government and their elected representatives could not yield any result until the women who are beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer came to their rescue.
75 year old leader of the women group under the programme, Mrs Zainab Ishaku said she was inspired to make a difference in the community considering the hardship she had to go through in search of water.
She explained that since they were enrolled in the Conditional Cash Transfer Programne in 2016, she introduced a local thrift fund and mobilized the women to be saving N2000 each to the fund from their N5000 for the water project.
A seventy year old Mrs Mary Isa who was seen fetching water from one of the taps in community said she was delighted that she could access clean water in her village with ease after many years of suffering.
Head Teacher of the Local Government Primary School, Mr Musa Ogye and Officer in the Primary Health Care Centre in the community, Mrs Hauwa Musa pointed out that life had been difficult for people in the area as a result of water scarcity until the intervention of the women.
Head of Unit, Nasarawa State Conditional Cash Transfer Programne, Mrs Rhoda Agbawo called for sustainability of the programme to reduce poverty to the bearest minimum.
She urged other beneficiaries of the programme to emulate the Gbata women by utilizing part of their monthly stipends to engage in sustainable projects in the village.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s)
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