By Edwin Uhara

October 15 every year is a day set aside by the United Nations to celebrate the International Day of Rural Women. It’s a day designated to raising awareness on the challenges, impacts and prospects of the rural women among others.

According to UN report, “Rural women have less access to a range of resources, from farm land rights and credit to education and technology.”

“Every year, female-headed households experience income losses of eight percent due to heat stress, and three percent due to floods, relative to male-headed households.”

“Climate change has a more pronounced impact on women, primarily on indigenous and peasant women, whose agricultural dependence, living conditions, and marginalization expose them to a greater degree of challenges due to climate change, loss of diversity, and pollution.”

The same report added that, “If women had the same access to productive resources as men, farm yields could increase by 20 to 30 percent; feeding an additional 100 to 150 million people.

“Women have learned how to cope with and adapt to climate change, by practicing sustainable agriculture in harmony with nature, switching to drought-resistant seeds, employing low-impact or organic soil management techniques and leading community-based reforestation and restoration efforts.”

“Women engaged in wage employment in agriculture earn 82 cents for every dollar that men earn.”

“Given their position on the frontlines of the climate crisis, women are uniquely situated to be agents of change — to help find ways to mitigate the causes of global warming and adapt to its impacts on the ground.”

However, it is in line with the theme of this year’s celebration which is: “Rural Women Sustaining Nature for Our Collective Future: Building climate resilience, conserving biodiversity, and caring for land towards gender equality and empowerment of women and girls,” that I decided to examine the impacts of The Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman, an organisation that has been transforming the lives of the rural women through health, economic empowerment, agriculture and educational supports programme among others.

The organization has impacted on the lives of over 2.4 million individuals across three African countries, transforming communities and enhancing the quality of lives in the region.

It has championed girls education in STEM fields, cultivating a new generation of female leaders with over 250 additional projects across Africa.

The organization has fostered economic independence by encouraging women’s participation in cottage industries and agriculture.

It has initiated critical immunisation initiatives in rural areas, significantly bolstering public healthcare systems within communities in the region.

In putting it’s works in proper perspectives, The Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman has built 1,435 cottage industries for the rural women as well as 1,784 farms and another 1,992 multipurpose centres and 7,625 cooperative farms across the region for advancing the cause of the African rural woman.

Over the years, the organization has played a leading role in the campaigns on immunisation, oral rehydration therapy and polio vaccination programmes.

Through Sauki Health Outreach Initiative and its youth volunteer programme, the organisation has raised the health status of the rural women to appreciable levels.

Accordingly, the organization has trained over 360 women in different skills acquisition programmes; especially on micro credits and other financial schemes.

The organisation has also trained over 600 women on SHEA production as well as the construction of Shea nut warehouse, multi crops and multi trade programmes.

Given the giant strides the organisation has made so far, there is no doubt that the organisation would do more if given more supports.

The structure is there already with good leadership in the person of Her Excellency, Hajia Aisha Babangida who has done a great deal of justice to the organisation since the founding mother, Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs) Maryam Babangida passed away.

It’s a cause she is committed to doing for the whole rest of her live; the cause of seeing the African rural woman enjoying the same rights and privileges like any other woman anywhere in the world.

This cause is however challenging but not insurmountable.

Therefore, on the occasion of this year’s International Day of Rural Women, it is appropriate to call on the international community and other public spirited individuals to throw their supports behind the Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman so that more lives can be touched and be transformed across the continent.

Let’s reawaken the spirit of Ubuntu once again!

Comrade Edwin Uhara is A Journalist and Public Affairs Commentator. He writes from Enugu, Nigeria!

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