Follow Us on Google
•Some of beneficiaries and officials at the event
By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
House of Rammah Foundation, in conjunction with Foodies and Spice Nigeria Limited, has presented cash, clothes and food items to 56 widows and some indigent Nigerians in Lagos State, as part of its charitable activities to cushion the current economic challenges facing in the nation.
•Some of beneficiaries and officials at the event
They supported them to improve the their businesses and create a thriving business opportunity for them to improve their standard of living with the proceeds.
They received N30,000 in cash each, while relief packages containing clothes and other food items such as rice, vegetable oil, garri, salt and other staples were also handed out during the event.
The Managing Director of Foodies and Spice Nigeria Limited, Gina Ehikodi-Ojo, said they were inspired by the plight of widows battling hardship. So they decided to team up to empower them basically.
Ehikodi-Ojo, added that the gesture was aimed at assisting vulnerable widows who find it difficult to cater for themselves after losing their breadwinner, as well as women toiling day and night to eke a living.
She noted that the essence of the programme was to put smiles on the faces of widows and their families, and also to get their data captured in respect of accessing future support to their businesses and development of entrepreneurial skills that can improve the management of their businesses and enhance productive living, while supporting them on a journey to financial independence. “We want every widow empowered to succeed, so we provided training on how they can successfully run their chosen income-generating businesses- from customer management to product replenishment, pricing, and record keeping.”
The Executive Director of the House of Rammah Foundation, Risikat Adeola Adisa, further stated that the initiative focused on providing cash for women in petty trade and equally build their businesses in order to help lift them out of poverty. “Through our Enterprise Scheme, we empower these women and they learn to support themselves.”
Adisa noted that the beneficiaries of the programme were expected to use the cash not only to better their personal economic status but to contribute their quota to the economic development of the country.
She said the company/NGO remained focused on women empowerment because of its belief that women were pillars of society and communities, as reflected in their work. “The goal of the just concluded event was to integrate underserved women into a growth trajectory that generates value for their families and society.”
According to her, for 11 years the firm has been financially supporting the project, saying they hope to continue to hear inspiring stories from the various beneficiaries across the state.
Two beneficiaries of the programme, who spoke on behalf of the women, said that the programme changed the way they viewed life and business as they have moved on to establish grinding machines and kerosene businesses.
