A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Katalog Charity Foundation has launched an intervention scheme to lift no fewer than 100 underprivileged widows out of poverty across Lagos State.
The scheme entitled ‘Rescue Widows: 100 stories, 100 lives’ which is billed to take off on September 8, 2024, is aimed to alleviate poverty among widows by providing start-up capitals, and sewing machines, among others.
The founder of the Foundation and Chief Executive Officer of Skin Salva Med. Spa, Dr. Vivian Ebelechukwu Akaenyi said the project is focused on empowering 100 widows in Lagos state. “We are going around all the States in Nigeria, trying to pick 100 widows per State to ensure we alleviate poverty. We want to structure their lives and get back what they have lost. Most of these widows have children who are dependent on them.
“So, we find out what they are good at doing, what they used to do before they lost balance, what they can start doing now if they don’t want to continue what they are doing. So, whatever it is, we find a way, to provide them with the right tools,” Akaenyi stated.
She disclosed that profiling of the widows is ongoing to detect if actually, they are not faking their status. “Currently, we are doing our widows’ profiling, we already have a few of them from different local governments within Lagos state. We want to ensure we don’t from just one area but cover all the areas to ensure there is balance.”
While adding that the plan is to reach 1,000 widows every year thereby combing about 10 states in Nigeria, Akaenyi emphasised that it will be easier to achieve their goal if the organisation collaborates with the government. “With the collaboration from government across other states, it could be the decisive factor to the next state we would get into.”
She therefore urged Nigerians to help the less privileged. “People are in abject poverty within this country and the least we could do is for all well-meaning Nigerians to rise and do the needful, deny yourself one or two things, and help those in need.”