COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS
DPAT FOUNDATION, as a non-governmental organization, was founded to empower women and youths to be self-reliant and be economically productive members of the society. Since its inception DPat Foundation has remained on course in the discharge of its duties in this regards as a conscientious not-for-profit organization. It has, as an organization, through the resilient and unflinching commitment of its founder and president, Elder Mrs. Patience Ardey, consistently reached out to empower rural women as well as women in the urban and suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja through trade and entrepreneurial skills training.
Special focus has also being on the girl-child with the belief that when a girl is empowered with entrepreneurial skills in her formative years she will be more economically productive in her journey through early womanhood. She will not only be economically self-sustained but also be an asset to her family and the society. Many such young women who passed through DPAT SKILL ACQUISITIONS PROGRAMMES are today self-employed and are in turn employing and empowering others. Many young men have also been empowered with relevant and employable trade skills that have enabled them to be economically productive.
A major feat that DPAT FOUNDATION is known for is its knacks for organizing and linking the beneficiaries of its skills empowerment trainings with government and relevant agencies for financing facilities. Over times, many have been given grants, soft loans, equipment and inputs by relevant government agencies for either the take-off of their businesses in the areas of their newly acquired trade skills or for the expansion of existing businesses.
Another very prominent platform through which DPat Foundation has helped to empower the people it trains as well as others who wish to benefit is its co-operative platforms. There are presently a union of co-operatives under the foundation which is the umbrella of all the numerous co-operatives that have been formed by the beneficiaries of the foundation. Many of such groups are based in various remote rural areas in the FCT while others are within the suburbs of the FCT.
SKILL ACQUISITION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL EMPOWERMENT CLASSES
A major achievement or what can be seen as a Flagship Programme at DPat Foundation is its skills acquisition training classes which are mostly free of charge. DPat Foundation boasts of being one of the few non-profit organizations with the most efficient and result-oriented skill empowerment platforms in the entire FCT. Several hundreds of girls, women, youths and grown men have been trained in various trade skills such as:
- Fashion designing and tailoring
- Beads and hat making
- Bag and shoe making
- Catering and cake making
- Event planning
- Paint making
- Soap and detergent making
- Organic farming
- Poultry
- Fishery etc.
Beneficiaries were taught how to start their businesses immediately with or without adequate capital. For example, in the fashion and tailoring class, the trainees were trained to design and sew dresses just with the use of measuring tapes, scissors, threads and needles, without the use of sewing machine at the foundational stage. And they have come up with beautiful and quality hand-made dresses that are ready for the market and for personal use at this stage of their classes. By the time they start using sowing machine, they had already mastered the art.
The Head Instructor, Elder Mrs. Patience Ardey, revealed that the trainees were taught to start producing cloths and dresses that they can sell and earn income from immediately, such as skirts, tops, gowns, underwear and boxers. Same goes for cake making and other classes. Trainees were taught on the go how they can immediately begin to market their skills and start earning incomes immediately.
What is so remarkable about this is that these classes are mostly free of charge.
EXHIBITIONS
Many mini and major exhibitions have been organized by DPAT FOUNDATION for the purpose of show casing the works and newly acquired skills of its beneficiaries. At the end of each training session mini exhibitions were organized to display the results of the trainings. The trainees, of course, usually took advantage the platform to display their crafts which they have learn from the training classes to the delight of guests and observers. Major exhibitions, however, were organized independently or as parts of the organization’s programmes like seminars or symposiums in which beneficiaries, associates and partners came to exhibit their products and businesses. DPAT Foundation has also participated in MSMEs Expos and exhibitions organized by other bodies to showcase works done by its beneficiaries. Example is the annual Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) MSMEs Expo.
SEMINARS AND SYMPOSIUMS
As a yearly tradition, seminars and symposiums have also been organized with dignitaries from various governmental and non-governmental organizations gracing the events. In March, 2024, DPAT FOUNDATION held a one-day seminar for her women on Women’s Day. The seminar aimed at encouraging women to be enterprising, productive and protective of their homes and families.
Similarly, on the 31st of May, 2024, DPAT FOUNDATION participated in a strategic meeting convened by the Community and Social Intervention Department of the Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with Nigerian Women Economic Development (NigWED). The meeting aimed at forming a collaboration between the Ministry of Woman Affairs and Civil Society Organizations to forge a roadmap for safeguarding the rights of women and children. The goal of this event aligns perfectly well with that of DPAT FOUNDATION that has for decades championed the cause and rights of women and children.
Perhaps, one of the major landmark achievements of DPAT FOUNATION in 2024 was its symposium organized on nano enterprises with the theme: “WHY DO WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT NANO ENTREPRENEURS?” The event which took place in Gwagwalada , Abuja on 7th of March, 2024, hosted many guests and dignitaries from various walks of life. The event was attended by several government agencies such as National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA), Agriculture Development Project (ADP), Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, FCT, FADAMACares, Nigeria Police Force, Gwagwalada division, as well as various private sector organizations, trade associations, Women Groups and several other guests and dignitaries.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
DPAT FOUNDATION is in active working partnership with various government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.. These include the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA), the Bank of Agric (BOA), the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Bank of Industry (BOI), FCT Agricultural and Rural Development, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), to mention a few. Over the years DPAT FOUNDATION has hosted representatives of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in the person of its FCT Coordinator, Mr. Chimereze Noble. Mr. Nobel has presented several papers in many of the foundation’s fora. His continuous moral supports have been a boost to the resolves for untiring efforts of the founder and officials of the foundation.
Another major supportive and, perhaps, the most active partner in recent time is the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA). Many members of DPAT Co-operative Union have benefitted from AEA grants in its several batches. Beneficiaries have been able to expand their businesses through the funds gotten from the grants. Beyond these financial benefits for the members, AEA through its officials has consistently honoured and graced seminars and symposiums organized by the foundation. Seminar papers on book keeping and financial management for small businesses have been severally presented by the agency through its representatives at DPAT FOUNDATION’S Seminars and other programmes.
The Bank of Agric. (BOA) has also been a great partner to the organization. Several members of the various co-operatives under DPAT FOUNDATION have been given soft loan for the expansion of their agric. Businesses. Much can also be said of the Bank of Industry (BOI). BOI has remained a solid technical partner to DPAT FOUNDATION. The same goes for the FCT Agric. and Rural Development.
The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), which is a nation’s leading industrial skill training agency of the federal republic of Nigeria is also been strong a partner with DPAT Foundation. DPAT FOUNDATION has facilitated entrepreneurial skills classes for students and youths under in partnership with ITF. And speaking of youths and students, students of the University of Abuja’s Institute of Education has also benefitted from DPAT FOUNDATION’S Entrepreneurial skills empowerment classes. Time will not permit to talk about the various youths and students oriented partnership and skill empowerment classes that has taken place, courtesy of the resilient efforts of its founder/president, Elder Mrs. Patience Ardey.
PROJECT60
“It takes the whole village to bring up a child,” says an African proverb. But what happens if the whole village is distracted and preoccupied with other issues of life? What happens if the plights of children no longer border the villagers? The plights of children today are getting worst by the day because of the harsh realities of weakening cultural values. Child neglect and its resultant effects, namely, juvenile delinquencies seems to start appearing normal in our society today as many now see this evil as something they can do nothing about.
With the figure on Out-Of-School Children (OOSC) in Nigeria by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimated to be 20 million children and that of the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimated to be over 20 million children, 69 per cent of which is in the northern part of the country, there is a need for urgent action.
Many children who have either lost one or both of their parents or whose parents are not financially capable of sending them to school are left, you my say, to themselves. But in reality, they are left in the hands of unscrupulous individuals who find them ready criminal recruits. Yet most of us can do something to contribute to stem this ugly tides. This is why Elder Mrs. Patience Ardey floated the Project60 in 2023 as an arm and platform DPAT FOUNDATION through which these children can be sent to school and have their future secured.
As a non-governmental organization with a trusted reputation, DPat Foundation has taken the responsibility of providing the PROJECT60 SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME as a platform for sincere and willing members of the public to sponsor less privileged children through school as partners and donors. Through this scholarship scheme the Foundation is currently sponsoring over sixty children from primary through secondary school. The major objective of PROJECT60 is to help reduce the menace of Out Of School Children (or OOSC) within the FCT, beginning from Gwagwalada Area Council.
DPat Co-operative Union
There are a number of co-operative groups under the DPat Co-operative Union. As an organisation that has trained and empowered so many people over the years, the population of people associated with DPat Foundation on individual basis is enormous. DPat Foundation boasts of a great number of people in several rural community who are member of one Dpat Co-operative group or the other. By belonging to theses groups under DPat Co-operative union it has being very easy to monitor everyone. Through each group leaders messages and information are easy to pass across. Members are easy to monitor especially, on how they put grants or loans given to them by financial institutions or government agencies.
The year 2024 ended with so many other co-operative groups been registered and issued certificates by the FCT Agriculture and Rural Development. There have been an influx of new members joining these co-operative groups after witnessing their friends, families members and neighbours benefiting in so many ways this year on the platforms of the DPat Co-operative union. As a result new co-operative groups had to be registered to cater to this new influx. This underscored the positive impacts of the foundation on the grassroots women, farmers and the rural communities generally.
In all of this, we can only say, “ALL THE GLORY BE TO GOD ALMIGHTY” as we look forward to more of His empowering grace to do more in the coming years. We will not fail to thank all our government agency partners such as AEA, NDE, BOA, BOI, Ministry of Women Affairs, FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, FADAMACare and a host of other partners in the public sector. Special thanks also go to the Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri as well as the various traditional and community heads within the Gwagwalada Area Council, Kwali Area Council etc. Our profound appreciation also goes to our private sector partners, our volunteers and team as well as heads of the various co-operative groups who made the works easier. Thank you all!
– The President/Founder, Dpat Foundation, Elder Mrs Patience Ardey, JP..