NAN-H-20
Donation
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, July 2, 2017(NAN) No fewer than 300 widows and orphans benefitted from the food and relief materials distributed by an Ibadan-based NGO, Channel for Widow Relief Initiative(CFWRI) in Apata area of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CFWRI distributed the materials at a programme to mark the end of Ramadan 2017 and 2017 International Widow’s Day (IWD).
The NGO; established in 2011, in addition to the food and relief materials donated to the widows, also gave N10, 000 each to eight widows as business support and N5,000 each to 10 orphans as educational support.
Alhaja Fadhilat Balogun, the Founder and Executive Director of CFWRI, told NAN that the effort was to promote and protect the interests and welfare of the widows and orphans.
Balogun said that the International Widow’s Day was a global day aimed at raising awareness on how o help widows and their children around the world who are suffering from poverty and neglect.
“Many of these women and their children are malnourished. They are exposed to diseases and are subjected to extreme forms of deprivation.
“Widows experience targeted murder, rape, prostitution, forced marriage, property theft, eviction, social isolation and physical abuse.
“Widow’s children also face horrors such as child marriage, illiteracy, inability to attend schools, forced labour, human trafficking, homelessness and sexual abuse,’’ she said.
She said the IWD celebrated every June 23 was an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows.
Balogun appealed to government to enact laws that would promote the rights of widows and orphans.
According to her, “some of these rights are rights to life, rights to dignity of person, freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and right against discrimination.’’
She stated that government and Nigerians must recognise that widows and orphans are also part of the society.
They must enjoy the rights and social protection they deserved like every other Nigerian, she said.
The beneficiaries and well wishers commended Balogun for the initiative which they said had since its establishment in 2011 alleviated their sufferings immensely.
They told NAN in separate interviews that the society would be a better place for all if Balogun’s effort was supported and emulated by other well meaning Nigerians.
NAN reports that the NGO had been organizing seminars of financial/stress management, financial empowerment programme, economic empowerment on poultry keeping and health care service delivery for widows since its inception.(NAN)
TAA/FAT/PAD
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Edited by Fatima Sule/Peter Dada