The Vocational Training/Skills Acquisition unit targets people with special needs including the Blind and visually impaired, physically and mentally challenged, the deaf and mute, orphans and widows. Majority of these people do not have basic education or any skills to earn money to survive in the society, hence leading to extreme poverty and resorting to begging on the streets. However the educated ones are not able to compete with their peers in the setting of low employment rates in Nigeria. Bina Foundation intends to use its activities to change the negative attitude of society towards people with special needs by empowering them with these skills which will enable them integrate successfully into the society and be financially independent.
Most employers in the public and private sectors are not very willing to hire people with disabilities. In 2012, the Foundation established a skills acquisition/vocational training and empowerment programme to enable these individuals who are otherwise very talented and smart but due to physical or financial challenges are not as educated or financially stable or able to compete with their peers in the job market, acquire needed skills and boost their confidence and self-esteem and in turn make them more marketable to prospective employers.
The departments include:
- Computer Literacy
- Catering and Fast Food
- Fashion/Textile Tailoring and Designing
- Shoe and Bag Making
- Bead-Making and Wire Works
- Hair /Barbing and Beauty Salon
- Musical Band Training
- Cosmetology
- Paint Making
- Radio /TV and phone Repairs.
The major supporter of the foundation, Michelle Laboratories Ltd., Enugu, Nigeria, a pharmaceutical company, hires some of the graduates of the programme each year, as part of the Foundation’s commitment to supporting its graduates in their endeavours. Due to the limited job openings and the size of the company, it cannot employ all these smart and talented individuals, therefore the Foundation urges the public to extend employment offers to them. Some of the graduates of the programme are educated up to the university level but due to the stigmatization attached to being disabled in Nigeria, have not been able to secure employment.
The Foundation provides free equipment and grants to its graduates based on the training program completed. These equipment and monetary endowments help them establish their own businesses and hopefully train and hire other people with special needs.
The Foundation has a rolling admission and participation in any of the programs is free.
The Foundation is proud of all its graduates so far, who are now an inspiration to others. They have said ‘no’ to begging and self-pity, thus are determined to make a difference in their society and the world at large.