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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
It was a moment of mixed feelings for hundreds of widows and orphans in Abuja, who benefitted from the kindness of a non-profit organisation, Rock of Ages Empowerment Foundation, recently.
Apart from bags of rice and condiments that each of the beneficiaries got, several other empowerment items and finance were distributed to hundreds of widows that participated in an event to mark the 2023 International Women’s Day, in Abuja.
The gesture was part of the annual outreach of the organisation to commemorate International Widows Day, which was set aside by United Nations to address the poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents across the world.
In Nigeria, there are millions of women who were forced into widowhood by different circumstances, including conflicts, sickness/disease, poverty and other natural cause of death of their husbands.
Regrettably, many of them enjoy little or no attention or support from family members, neither do they benefit from special government programmes or activities to help alleviate their sufferings.
They practically rely on the interventions of kind-hearted people or corporate organisations to assist them with food and non-food items, to cater for themselves and their dependents.
Founder of the organisation, Ignatius Newman, told journalists, at the event that the interesting part of the annual outreach was that it covers women from different faiths, ethnic groups and political ideologies, among others.
Newman said he was happy and fulfilled that the foundation has been able to sustain and accomplish its aim to champion an aggressive campaign on the need for empowerment of widows, orphans and other vulnerable people in the society.
He said the campaign has succeeded in restoring hope for thousands of women and their dependents, some of whom lost hope of survival when they lost their husbands.
He said: “The Foundation has single-handedly transformed the lives of thousands of widows and their dependents in the past few years, through opportunity for skills acquisition, financial empowerment, monthly medical check-up and payment of school fees, among others.”
He said their interventions are growing everyday because they have continued to identify areas of need in the society, particularly as it concerns women, children and other vulnerable groups.
He encouraged the women to remain steadfast and know that God is with them, and He won’t allow whatever that can consume them to come close to them or their children.
He solicited for more support from government and other organizations so that more widows would be empowered financially and otherwise, so they can be useful to themselves and their families.
Officials from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp (NSCDC) and other related organisations were invited to speak to the women on issues of gender-based violence, personal security and other related areas.
They were exposed to safety tips and other things they should do in the event of violation of their rights. They were also educated on how to run their homes in order to avoid issues with in-laws and other family members that could result in conflict.
The women were also encouraged to always reach out to authorities like NAPTIP, Police or others whenever the need arises, so they can get justice and fair treatment from the constituted authorities.
Many of the beneficiaries thanked the donor for his unwaivering support for the widows and orphans over the years, praying that God continue to bless him abundantly with good health and other things.
A beneficiary, who identified herself as Ijeoma Uzor, said she came from Gwagwalada, and has been benefitting from the kind gesture since 2019. “I have been empowered with so many things from this Foundation, and I remain eternally grateful for that,” she said.
Another beneficiary, who identified herself as Catherine, said her in-laws forcefully took over her husband’s property when he died few years ago, leaving her with the burden of training the children.
She said: “I was extremely frustrated to the point that I had to relocate to Abuja from Benin with my children because they left nothing for me. A friend introduced me to Rock of Ages Foundation. I joined and was trained by the Foundation. They empowered me with some cash to start business and the rest is story.”
Another beneficiary, Halima Zubair, also gave testimony of transformation courtesy of the Foundation. She said: “I had nothing when my husband died few years ago. I joined the Foundation in 2015 and participated in catering class.
“Afterwards, they empowered me with items to start with. I secured a small loan to kick start a business, and I am better off today. I remain grateful to the Foundation for the empowerment and guide.
“I have three children and I can confidently take care of them. I use the business to train them in school. I don’t even pay house rent anymore because I have built my own house.”
