A Real Estate company, PWAN group of companies, with a passion for empowerment, said it has taken over the maintenance of two Primary schools with a population of over 500 pupils as well as widows and vulnerable women in Obieze Amaka community.
The community was among other 10 women and widows targeted for empowerment across 36 states of the federation.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer / President, Dr Jayne Onwumere, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state after she was conferred with the Eminent Peace Ambassador Award organised by the International Association of World Peace Advocates during the 7th Anniversary of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals held in Ibom hall, Uyo, the State capital.
According to her, “We are known as real estate company but now we are empowering people to become financially independent.
“Two years ago, we adopted two Primary schools with about five hundred children to take care of, one is called Enede community primary school the other one is called Obieze Amaka primary school in Delta State.
“We renovated the school, employed four more teachers that will take care of some subjects. We intend to take care of these children, we discovered that it does not really cost so much to take care of children in primary schools, with N15,000 each, you can take care of them because there is already free education in the state.
“So, right now, we are sewing two school uniforms for every child, we are buying singlets, pairs of stockings, sandals (even though it is rubber) and school bags, so when the commissioner comes to commission the school, we will have brand new set of children. We don’t have to wait for the government. Education is dear to our heart” she said
The Managing Director added that as part of the company’s empowerment plan, several women and widows have been empowered to become self-reliant and independent.
“When we did our 10th anniversary, we did boreholes for our communities, empowered widows and school children, about five times we have gathered women, not just widows because there are some widows that are more comfortable than those who are not widows.
“We Empowered the indigent women with money about N100,000 so that they start a small business and in my local government, I empowered about twelve women every month.
“During our 10th anniversary, we empowered 10 women in every state of the federation and once the names are collated, we begin to roll out the names,” she said.
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The Chairman / Co-founder of the group, Mr Augustine Onwumere, while speaking with newsmen after bagging his same Eminent Peace Ambassador Award, said the company, which started in 2012 as real estate and marketing, has taken a lot of youths out of the streets, adding that the award would spur him to do more.
“They say a reward for hard work is more work; I’m hungry for development even more hungry than what I have achieved because I have a special calling to help people.
“I’ve made impact but I’m now looking for people who were nobody and climb from the depth to the level that I have reached by opening centres and training them.
“We have about five training centres in Lagos, we even have accommodation to enable those outside the state to lodge and receive training for six weeks on how to live a life that is responsible and they go back to their state with what they have learned.
“The message to my partners, they should live an open door policy to receiving people who may not be what they are today, allow them to eat from the king’s table so that they can become kings.”
The company’s Vice President, Mr Afamefula Okonkwo, said, “I’m excited about the award because that is what my organisation represents.
“The company is involved in preaching peace and we are in about 32 states of the federation and advocating for peace.
“We have a training centre in those areas, we use those mediums to talk to them about how to be useful to themselves and we try to empower them.
“As we are empowering them, making them eke out a living, we also preach peace to them, which they also preach to other people that we are one Nigeria.”
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