A widow and mother of five children, Mrs. Benedict Okoro, says she trained all her five children through the income she earns from her pepper-grinding business.
Okoro told NAN on Saturday in Abuja that though the daily income was not much, she was able to utilize it to raise her children.
She said she sometimes earned as little as N1,000, N1,500, or N2,000 a day from the business.
The indigene of Enugu said she struggled to cater for her children since the death of her husband about five years ago.
She said her income was often barely enough to meet the family’s daily needs, including food and school expenses.
“I use the little I make to train my children through secondary school.
“Raising my children alone has been challenging, particularly with the rising cost of living and education,” she said.
She said with support from governments many parents could train the children and wards from small and informal businesses such as hers.
According to her, many petty traders from very conducive environments such as makeshift spaces, which expose them and their goods to harsh weather conditions, including rain and intense sunlight.
According to her, providing affordable shops will not only protect traders and their goods but also create a better environment for them to grow their businesses and support their families.
Okoro, therefore, appealed to the federal government to provide affordable shops for petty traders in the Dei-Dei market area and other places where they operate.
She also called for access to soft loans, adding that affordable credit facility would enable her and other low-income traders to increase their stock and improve their earnings.
According to Okoro many widows and small-scale traders struggle combine meeting daily family needs and the education of their children.
She urged relevant authorities and well-meaning Nigerians to support vulnerable families like hers.
