IAC: Beneficiaries Hail Awesome Empowerment Foundation For Rollout Of Fortitude Scheme For Persons With Disabilities, Single Mothers

Seventy beneficiaries, including persons with disabilities and single mothers, attended the official launch of the Awesome Empowerment Foundation’s 2026 Fortitude Empowerment Scheme at Yaba GRA, Lagos. This was in preparation for a three-month, certificate-bearing training in fashion design, tailoring and culinary skills, which the foundation is set to undertake in partnership with the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA).

The programme, an offshoot of the Imperfectly Awesome Conversations (IAC), will admit 60 beneficiaries into the culinary arts upskilling, while the remainder will enroll in fashion and basic sewing training which will be sponsored by Huaxin Building Materials, Nigeria (formerly Lafarge).

Speaking on the initiative’s goals, the founder, Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi, said the scheme targets three categories of people. “Entrepreneurs who want to sharpen their skills; persons who are interested in entrepreneurship but don’t have the facility to even learn the skills; and of course individuals with any form of disability, anyone in these categories is welcome,” she said, adding that beneficiaries would receive startup kits and follow-up support after training.

Among those at the launch was Mavis Isokpehi, founder of the Victoria Intellectual Disability Foundation, who was previously trained in shoemaking under HBM and now hopes sewing skills will cut her production costs. “Prior to my nomination for this empowerment scheme, I would go to the market, get my materials, come home, cut and design. I would go back to the market to sew. That automatically shot up my production cost,” she said, describing the durability sewing gives her shoe products over glue.

Another beneficiary, a mother caring for her 30-year-old son who has a disability, said she hoped the culinary training would let her earn from home. “If I do the catering, I will learn some things, maybe chin chin, puff puff, or some other snack. I can do it in my house, put it in front of my house, and be selling it,” she said.

Other participants included a single mother of four already producing natural juice who hopes to scale into a full juice-production business, and a former cleaner who aspires to become a fashion designer after missing a similar opportunity in the past due to lack of funds.

Abiodun Ipaye, Head of Marketing at Kerrygold Milk, Unilever Nigeria, the company that will be sponsoring the culinary aspect of the training, urged beneficiaries to stay committed. “Don’t chase perfect skills. Chase the rhythm. Chase being yourself. Chase being purposeful,” she said.