By Sunday Ani
The Liberty Family Foundation (LFF), has transformed the lives of scores of women living in urban slums across Nigeria through its empowerment initiatives.
Under the leadership of its founder, Michael Liberty, it has provided underprivileged women with tools, training and support systems designed to scale up their small businesses and position them towards improved living conditions.
At a recent outreach programme in the Surulere area of Lagos, seven women received stalls and trading spaces, in addition to training in branding, customer service and the legal aspects of business ownership
According to the Programme Director, Esther Bankole-Omotola, said LFF was founded with a mission to support charitable, religious, educational and scientific initiatives, both locally and globally. “We are guided by a vision to uplift communities. Our women’s empowerment initiative was born out of this mission and the deep personal commitment of our founder, Michael Liberty, to support and impact the lives of women residing in slums.
“By equipping these women with the skills and resources they need to grow their businesses, we aim to empower them to rise out of poverty and into dignity,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries is a young caterer who lost everything after her former business partner absconded with her tools and ingredients. LFF provided her with a market stall, baking equipment and essential supplies, enabling her to return to her trade and regain her footing.
“These are a few examples,” Bankole-Omotola said. “Many more women have found renewed purpose through our interventions.”
She explained that LFF identifies beneficiaries by visiting slum communities and conducting interviews with women who run small-scale businesses.
“During our interviews, we ask them what specific items they need to grow their businesses. We then review their responses, make our selections and ensure they receive the resources they requested on the day of our empowerment event.”
She noted that apart from material support, the initiative also provides mentorship and guidance to the women. Speaking on the broader vision of the foundation, she said: “We are committed to implementing projects that create meaningful, lasting change in underserved communities. Our focus is not merely to offer temporary relief, but to promote long-term transformation through education, financial empowerment and access to essential resources.”