Reverend Chukwudiebube Nwachukwu, Executive Director of the Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation, has expressed his satisfaction and happiness upon the commencement of operations at the Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation Skill Acquisition Centre in Ishi Ozalla, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, South East Nigeria. He made this declaration during his official visit with the Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation team members to the skill acquisition site on December 3, 2024, to witness the commencement of the mushroom farming/production program at the Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation Skill Acquisition Centre.
According to Reverend Nwachukwu, the Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation has partnered with Rangers International Football Club Foundation and Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organization Nigeria to provide positive and meaningful pathways to targeted and vulnerable young persons and adults. The skill acquisition centre, commencing today, will engage participants after their psychosocial engagements, which are aimed at making them valuable members of society. These psychosocial engagements will encompass behavior modification activities that will assist participants in unlocking their potential and discovering their true selves. Participants will also undergo free skills training in mushroom and snail farming, as well as cucumber cultivation. Based on their exceptional performance, they will promptly receive support and starter packs to commence their skill acquisition journey upon completing their engagement.
One notable aspect of this initiative is the initial psychosocial engagement conducted before participants begin skill learning. This engagement will help to stabilize their emotions and mental abilities, thereby arousing their consciousness towards discovering themselves and exploring the available skills based on their interests. This approach will also engage them positively and deter them from engaging in negative pathways.
During the inspection tour and briefing, the Skill Acquisition Centre Manager, Michael Osiagor, expressed gratitude for the Executive Director and team’s visit to the center to witness the commencement of activities. Subsequently, the team was taken through various stages of mushroom farming and production. Osiagor assured the team that the center will fulfill its objectives of professionally transferring skills such as mushroom, snail, and cucumber farming. This will undoubtedly provide positive, meaningful pathways that can transform participants into national assets. Furthermore, Osiagor expressed optimism about the commencement of other skill transfer areas at the center, contingent upon the completion of participants’ ongoing psychosocial engagement training.
