A community-based organisation, Oshodi Noble Heritage (ONH), has empowered 34 widows with N20,000 grants for their petty businesses.
The empowerment programme which was held on Sunday according to the Coordinator of the organisation, Mr Abdulfatah Ogunnaike, was to help alleviate the sufferings of the widows who he said are often neglected in the society.
Ogunnaike said the empowerment programme where each of the 34 beneficiaries go home with N20,000 support fund was the 5th edition.
The coordinator said it is the way the ONH is giving back to the society and helping the widows eke a living.
He said; “we are into a core community service, with a concern to make the society better for all, by ensuring it benefits from our activities. We have donated to the motherless babies home at GRA, Ikeja, and the destitute home in Oko Baba,Yaba, Lagos. We have been impacting our community in various capacities.
“Today, we are here to give widows empowerment funds for their businesses. This is the fifth edition of the widows’ empowerment programme we are organising. We have been able to empower 101 widows in our five years journey of the programme.
“We have been able to monitor the beneficiaries and we are glad they are doing fine in their various businesses. The ones we gave today will also be monitored to ensure that the money given to them is judiciously used for the purpose it is meant.”
Ogunnaike said the past beneficiaries were invited to the programme to receive further relief packs.
“We have also invited our past beneficiaries to this edition, we are giving them food packs to further relieve them of the economic hardship. We will continue to follow up with them to make sure they are doing fine in their various enadvaours,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Felicia Ogenamaro who trades soft drinks, thanked the ONH for the empowerment.
An elated Ogenamaro appreciated the organisers for the fund and promised to make judicious use of the money given to her.
She said; “I am happy and appreciative of the organisers for this programme, I want to assure them that this money will be used to buy more goods for my drinks business to boost it.”