Help Her Help Herself

It was an emotional day. I struggled to fight back tears as the women sang and danced into the small arena we had prepared for the simple graduation ceremony of a set of tailoring students at the Maria Centre, Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles Empowerment Centre.

The touching refrain of their song was: “Sister Assumpta, we will never forget you, for the future you have given to us.” Their gratitude to the benefactors of the Centre was profound, and they prayed wholeheartedly for every one of them. Their joy and fulfillment were truly palpable.

The “future” they referred to was the basic tailoring training they had received, along with a sewing machine and starter materials to help them begin their new journey. These gifts were made possible through the generous donations of kind-hearted supporters. Each graduate now has a clearer, brighter path ahead — one in which they can earn a living through the skills they have acquired.

Aisha,* a particularly gifted woman, was among the graduates. Although she is illiterate, she mastered the art of sewing and has now become the celebrated tailor of the shanty town where she lives. She joyfully told me how people from the entire neighbourhood bring their clothes for her to sew. Beaming with pride, she said in her best English, “Sister, I sew plenty, plenty and get plenty, plenty money.”

What joy it was to witness how a simple helping hand has enabled Aisha to support herself, her family, and her community with dignity. True to the motto of the Maria Centre, empowerment truly gives dignity. Aisha now enjoys the independence and confidence that come with being self-employed. Her interaction with other women, coupled with the training and support she received, awakened her desire for literacy and sharpened her leadership abilities. Today, she is a respected leader in her community.

Aisha is a mother of three—aged fifteen, eight, and three. At a tender age, she entered an arranged marriage with her husband, a labourer who only occasionally finds work on construction sites. Originally from Sokoto, she and her family fled religious extremism, terrorism and banditry. They eventually found refuge in Zaria, where she was given out in marriage, and later settled in a shanty town on the outskirts of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, in search of a better life.

In its small but impactful way, the Maria Centre, run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles, has been empowering poor and vulnerable women from Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and underserved settlements in Abuja. The Centre was established in response to the massive influx of IDPs into the capital in 2014 and 2015, following Boko Haram attacks in the northeastern region of Nigeria.

Initially, the sisters offered material assistance—food, water, medication, and psychosocial counselling, especially for women and girls. By March 2016, they launched an empowerment and skills-acquisition programme aimed at restoring dignity and offering renewed hope. Today, the Centre provides practical skills, encourages entrepreneurship, and offers small start-up capital to help women face the future with confidence.

Indeed, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

*Names changed to protect real identities.