From survival to stability: how economic empowerment is changing lives in Nasarawa
Fifty young women chose a trade, trained in it and received start-up support. Here is what changes when someone invests directly in your potential.
1 min readORHI Communications
For many young women in Nasarawa State, particularly female sex workers and women who use drugs, economic vulnerability sits at the centre of daily risk. When income is uncertain, choices narrow, health suffers, safety is compromised, and dignity feels distant.
That is why economic empowerment is foundational to our work. We designed a practical pathway from survival to stability, built on three things: skills, start-up support, and systems that sustain progress.
Skills that match real demand
Fifty young women enrolled in hands-on training in market-relevant skills: catering and pastries, make-up artistry, hair styling and gele tying, and cosmetology. Each chose a skill that matched her own interests and local demand, so learning turned into real opportunity.
From learning to earning
Training alone is never enough. Every participant received start-up support to launch or strengthen her trade. For many, it was the first time anyone had invested directly in their potential.
“I always knew I could do more, but I never had the chance. Now I have tools, skills, and confidence to start.”
Systems that last
We developed the Community Economic Empowerment Manual with stakeholders, practitioners and community members. It sets out best practice, mentorship pathways and how to replicate the approach, linking participants to mentors, markets and supportive institutions.
Skills create opportunity. Mentorship builds confidence and resilience. Systems keep progress going. Together they reduce reliance on unsafe survival strategies, improve mental well-being and strengthen access to health and social services.
For the young women in this programme, empowerment is the beginning of a future they can now shape on their own terms.
