By Peter Amine
A non governmental organisation, Vernacular Heritage Initiative, through funding from the Gerda Henkel Foundation, has empowered mountainous Kofyar Community in Quan Pan Local Government Area of Plateau with skills and social amenities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kofyar is located on top of a mountain, which takes the locals almost two hours to climb up or down.
NAN also reports that the inhabitants usually trek down to communities at the foot of mountain for their daily needs.
The Chairman, Vernacular Heritage Initiative, Dr Olukoya Obafemi, said that he noticed the sufferings of Kofyar and surrounding communities when he visited the settlement to assess their unique vernacular architecture.
Obafemi said that the NGO built the Kofyar Community Centre and trained 50 youths in diverse vocational skills.
The chairman stated at the inauguration of the centre that the graduates were trained in tailoring, carpentry, electrical works, cobbling (shoemaking), barbing, etc.
“The objective of the intervention was to ensure food security in the community and also ensure that youth were also engaged meaningfully.
“The centre has vocational skills on one hand, shops, and a solar-powered grinding machine, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
“This is a very important chapter in the life of the community, as they have access to 24-hour electricity through solar power.
“This has created a local market for them to sell and buy as well as access some services that were hitherto not on the hill. It has helped them do their businesses without necessarily travelling down the mountain,” he said.
Obafemi thanked funders for their generous support for the four years that the project lasted.
The chairman also thanked members of the community for their enormous support for the success of the project.
According to him, their support was invaluable in the completion and eventual inauguration of the centre.
He advised the people to own the project, maintain it, and make judicious use of it.
The Community Head of Kofyar, Chief John Datong, appreciated the Vernacular Heritage Initiative and the funder, Gerda Henkel Foundation, for coming to the aid of the community.
Datong told the people that they would constitute a facility management committee to watch over the project.
The village head said that the committee would be responsible for monitoring and maintaining the centre.
“Whatever is generated from grinding machine, shops, and other available spaces will be managed by the community.
“They will be responsible for using the money to maintain the structure and the grinding machine.
“The committee will also fix the charges for the shops and the grinding machine,” he said. NAN
