Follow Us on Google
By Kehinde Aderemi
Monday June 23 was a special day for some widows in Lagos State. It was at the 2025 edition of the annual International Widows Day, with the theme: “Mothers of Light, Shining your Light.”
The event was organised by Gold Crest Family Centre, a Lagos-based non-governmental organisation that has been taking care of widows and vulnerable children since its inception in 2003.
The widows were dressed in an all-white attire with green headgears, as they
gathered at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Hall in Ikeja, Lagos.
Speaking at the event, president of Gold Crest Family Centre, Reverend Agatha Chukwura said the annual event offered opportunities for widows to reassess their lives and seek better ways of fulfilling their dreams in life.
The cleric stated that widows are products of God’s grace, adding that GCFC is fulfilling God’s purpose by giving the widows the support they needed to fulfil their respective dreams.
“We gather here today to put smiles on the faces of all the widows. We know how difficult it is for them to cater to the needs of their children, but we decided to empower them so that they can be useful to the society.
“Our empowerment programme for the widows is all-inclusive because it has really shaped them to be a better version of themselves.
“Today many of them are independent; they no longer depend on people for their welfare and upkeep of their children.
“As we celebrate today’s event, we will give each and every one of them cash donations as part of our 2025 empowerment scheme and they will all go home happy,” she stated.
Reverend Chukwura said GCFC programmes include the annual students educational programmes for vulnerable children across Lagos State, the annual health care summit, where young and old, especially those with health challenges, gather to get free health care services, courtesy of Gold Crest Family Centre.
Chairman of the GCFC, Dr.Seinde Oladapo Fadeni was represented by his wife, Mrs.Ebun Fadeni at the event.
In her remarks, she said Gold Crest Family Centre will continue to help and support widows in their efforts to boost their businesses.
She urged the widows to believe in God’s abundant grace, maintaining that the loss of their husbands and breadwinners was not the end of their lives.
“You should continue to believe in God, the giver of life, and sustainer of wealth in abundance. As an NGO, we will not relent in our efforts to make you happy. It is the special grace that has sustained the Gold Crest Family Centre for the past 22 years.
The empowerment programme for the day began with the distribution of N100,000 to each of the widows present. While handing them the cash gifts, Fadeni said the management of GCFC went through all the requests forms submitted by the widows for empowerment and decided on the cash gifts to take care of their requests.
She urged them to use the empowerment donations wisely.
Continued online
One of the patrons, prophetess Success Oyewole, also urged them to believe in God who has used the Gold Crest Family Centre’s visioner, Reverend Agatha Chukwura, to fulfil their dreams.
“Gold Crest Family Centre has offered all of you that are present here today another big opportunity to be self-sufficient. The cash donations given to you for empowerment should be used for the purpose it’s meant. This is not the money for partying or buying “Aso ebi”. It is for your empowerment and we are going to monitor you to see how you are faring with it.”
In his sermon, Pastor Zacheaus Olaniyan, said God is all-powerful and He is ready to help the widows.
“God is the husband of widows and the father of the fatherless. Therefore, I want you to look up to God as that is the only way to get you out of lack and poverty. What Gold Crest Family Centre is doing for you is an act of God. And I pray God to continue to bless the president, the chairman and all members of the management for putting smiles on the faces of the widows.
Some of the widows later shared their testimonies at the gathering.
Mrs Deborah Kolawole said she was happy that God used the Gold Crest Family Centre to take care of her health challenges.
“I lost my husband 23 years ago. I was abandoned. I had nothing on me, but God in His infinite mercy used Mama Chukwura to wipe my tears.
Mrs Majekodunmi Fadiya, from Akesan Zone, said when she was depressed, Gold Crest Family Centre, through Reverend Chukwura, came to her rescue.
“They take care of our health issues and give us money to take care of the needs of our children. We know how much drugs are being sold and many of us couldn’t afford to go to private hospitals. But GCFC helps us with free health care services for widows and the aged.
Mrs Moshood Adesola, from Agric Zone, said Gold Crest sponsored her children’s education. She explained that many vulnerable children in her community are now benefitting from the GCFC ‘s special gesture.
“The annual educational programme organised by GCFC offers hope for vulnerable children. My children and many others in my community have benefitted and still benefitting from the programme,” she stated.
Other guests at the event included pastor Adesina Adeyemi, who represented Rev Afolabi Coker, Mrs Olujinmi Omotolani, who represented Mrs Bose Ogunsanwo, Rev Friday Samuel, Pastor Coeman Duru, and others.
