6th November, 2019
Cecilia Esenwa Foundation (CEF), a non-governmental organisation focused on empowering women with the aim of building stronger communities in the society has been launched in Lagos. The official launch of the Foundation was held on Friday, November 1, 2019, at Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos.
The mission of the non-profit organisation is to educate, assist and support women who have some form of skill set but no growth or development in their chosen endeavours.
Speaking during the event, Chris Agbaje, founder and chairman of the Foundation, stated that about 99 million Nigerians are women, hence adequate attention must be given to them. He said: “Our core focus at the Cecilia Esenwa Foundation is to accelerate human development with an emphasis on women. Secondly, we want to improve the lives and well-being of Nigerians who desire to excel in their field of endeavours but are handicapped due to circumstances beyond them.”
Agbaje noted that 18 million women are found in the rural areas/unserved areas, with little means of advancing their means of livelihood. He explained that over time, social-economic and environmental factors have played key roles in shaping people’s livelihoods.
Agbaje added that besides empowering women physically, CEF is also passionate about their mental health; noting that if one is not mentally empowered, then physical empowerment will not make a lasting impact.
The Foundation’s empowerment programmes span across business empowerment, mental empowerment, personal development training and community empowerment.
CEF, through the engagement of experts, plans to support over 100 women in five years. This is expected to greatly impact communities across the six geo-political zones of the country.