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Poor widows and indigent women across Enugu State were given reason to smile recently, as the Women and Children Action Charity Organisation (WACCA) held its 2025 Christmas celebration, sharing food items, cash support, fabrics, and other gifts aimed at easing their hardship during the festive season.
The event, held in Enugu, brought together dozens of widows from different parts of the state, many of whom described the gesture as timely, touching, and life-saving.
In her address, the Founder and CEO of WACCA, Maudline Nwakuche, said the celebration was not only an annual charity activity but, also, a deliberate effort to uplift women who bear the weight of poverty and social isolation.
She said: “Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and courage of indigent widows not just by words but by actions. We acknowledge their achievements in every sector and their tireless efforts in making families and societies better.”
Nwakuche said the organisation was founded to fulfill “the aspirations of impoverished widows and vulnerable children,” adding that WACCA’s objectives include supporting women who dropped out of school due to lack of funds, breaking the cycle of poverty, promoting education, and improving household incomes.
She shared examples of the group’s work over the years, especially in health and empowerment.
“We have visited hospitals, including the maternity ward at Parklane Teaching Hospital, where we presented various gift items. We supported two widows undergoing dialysis due to kidney problems. Unfortunately, we lost one. We have also covered full hospital bills for widows who had accidents. Some came for empowerment of the sick; we treated them first before empowering them because we believe that health is wealth,” she said.
She said WACCA had trained and supported more than 30 widows in skills of their choice across Enugu metropolis and has consistently intervened in rent payments and children’s school fees for widows in distress.
Each Christmas, she noted, the organisation hosts widows with food, drinks and entertainment.
“Every Christmas, we celebrate poor widows and indigent women with rice, garri, African wax print fabric, monetary support, food and drinks. They are treated lavishly with sumptuous meals and music. It puts smiles on their faces and makes them joyful,” she explained.
She urged members of the public to embrace compassion during the festive season.
“We are all charged with the responsibility of showing love, care and empowerment to these indigent widows, so as to break the vicious cycle of poverty and restore hope for a better future,” she said.
The Director, Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Esther Mbah, who attended the event as special guest, commended the organisation and said the Enugu State Government is also investing heavily in supporting widows and vulnerable families.
She said: “The state government is doing a lot to ease the burden of widows in Enugu State. The government empowers them, giving them different skills, so that they will be independent. They can fend for themselves.”
Mbah explained that the government has also strengthened policies to protect the rights of women and children.
Many of the widows said the celebration had brought unexpected relief at a time when economic hardship had made basic needs difficult to meet.
