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By Damiete Braide
Dorcas Benevolent Foundation (DBF), a non-governmental organisation, recently feted indigent children, orphans and widows at its annual New Year party in Lafiaji community, Lagos Island, during a two-day event.
The event was supported by a number of brands, including Dangote Group, Nigerian Bottling Company, Nigerian Breweries Limited, Cadbury, Honeywell, PZ Industries Limited, Lishabi Mills and Glaxosmithkline. Beneficiaries went home with several items donated to the foundation by the companies.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Adebisi Vincent, lauded the NGO and its founder, Attai Sappor, for the gesture.
“The NGO has been so magnanimous to us widows in Lafiaji. Today, each of us received nine items. We were given money for trading and large size bags for our articles of trade. The foundation also gave us raw rice, palm oil and vegetable oil, beverages, clothes, shoes, bags. Each of us got a live fowl and a bag of pure water.
“Even during lockdown, DBF was reaching out to us. Every two weeks, they gave us foodstuff and N2,000 cash. This helped to reduce the pain of the lockdown. We thank God for the impact of DBF in our lives,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Mrs. Alice Akala, noted that: “Sappor has been doing a lot for us widows though Dorcas Foundation. I have been benefiting from them for six years. She needs government support, and we need more women like her.”
DBF’s founder, Sappor, explained that many widows and kids benefitted from the event. “We gave out toys, books, exercise books, schoolbags and other reading and learning aids to children of school age. They also got clothes, shoes, bags and wristwatches; teens up to 17 also benefited. And some of our older beneficiaries up to 25 still came around to receive various gifts.
“The widows came in their numbers and we prayed with them. We fed them and distributed cash and material items to them. For the two separate events, we lined them up and had them come inside in fives to pick up their items,” she said.
The elderly who could not attend the party had their packages delivered to their homes. Some other people in the neighbourhood and in Sappor’s local church, who were neither widows nor indigent children, also benefitted from the gesture.
She described the support DBF receives from the public as tremendous. She stated that, 26 years ago, God gave her the vision to continue in the footsteps of the biblical Dorcas: “It was from there I got the name Dorcas Benevolent Foundation. I’ve been doing it and will do it till God calls me home,” she vowed.
A trustee of DBF, Mr. Edward Abiola Sappor, said the foundation was set up to help alleviate poverty, as well as provide succour and comfort to the needy: “We look out for indigent children, orphans and widows. We try to assist them within the limit of the resources we are able to mobilise. We are particular about widows because many of them have children and grandchildren that they cater for.”
While noting that many Nigerians live below the poverty line, she urged other groups and individuals to always support the needy.
Sappor expressed gratitude to the foundation’s partners, including The Sun Publishing Limited, publishers of The Sun titles, for its immense support via its consistent reportage of its activities and programmes.
