Dame Edith Okowa: Benefactor par excellence

THE streak of impact of her milk of human kindness, fondness and affinity with the less-privileged has marked her out as a woman of benevolence. This uncommon virtue which Dame Edith Okowa, wife of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state has continued to display singles her out as a  model and succour provider.

Her outstanding passion for the plight of the needy played out glaringly again as 42 orphanages and five adopted families in Asaba joined in the memorable activities to mark the World Orphans Day on Thursday, November 7, 2019.  The event which came alive in the emerald ambiance of Government House, Asaba, was hosted by ever cheerful Mrs. Okowa, Founder of the 05 Initiative.

The Director-General, 05 Initiative, Mrs. Oghenekevwe Agas, set a tone for the day in her welcome address, saying that the World Orphanage Day 2019 was being marked for people to “remember that there are persons in our midst that need our attention.”

She was speaking about orphans, their plight and the need to extend care to them for active and purposeful living. “A child is made to suddenly change and become timid. These set of people are in pain that cannot be described,” she said.

These are the less-privileged, those whose circumstance of birth may have regrettably pushed them to become destitute, unfortunate, indigent, deprived, poor, needy and lowly. They are children who through no fault of theirs found themselves in very discomforting situation of no parental care. They have lost touch with natural parents who brought them into the world and are now alone, with a bleak future staring at them.

Faced with a hopeless situation, orphans go through hardship and often do not receive the right attention of affection necessary for them to properly develop.  They need care that will provide for them the opportunity to have a better life.

Dame Okowa began the occasion by raising awareness about the dilemma of children without parents, and admonished those who may not be biological parents of needy children on the significance of caring for them and extending human kindness.

She said, “these children see you as the father they never had, as the mother they never had. The world we are living in today is a world that has become pervasive; men of 70 years sleep with children. Today, the Lord is saying to us that today is not a show, but to remind us about our responsibility to children; that the children we come across may not be our biological children, but we have a responsibility to them. It is not about the position you occupy, but about the heart you carry.”

Indeed, the Delta First Lady has lived up to the demands of this inspiration with her 05 Initiative which was established in 2016 and  pronto, began the assignment of touching lives by feeding the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless, clothing the naked, care or the sick and visiting the prisoner.

Of course, the United Nations set aside November of every year to raise awareness of the plight of orphans and to re-evaluate the way children around us are treated, especially those not our biological children, who lost parenting under varying circumstances, making them vulnerable to societal storms.

As with previous years, Mrs Okowa gave various food items and cash to 42 orphanages and five indigent families she adopted as her responsibility to provide for. The items were arranged in heaps, each bearing the name of the orphanage it had been assigned to. The orphanages are located in different parts of the state, and the adopted families include Abojei, with four boys and one girl who lost their parents. They hail from Onicha-Ugbo in Aniocha North Local Government Area; Pastor Martins where both parents died in an accident.

The third is the Favour family of two children who lost their parents; the fourth is the quintuplet children. The five babies lost their 29 year-old mother after she gave birth to them through a caesarean session, and it was her first pregnancy. Okowa, in her kind heartedness has continued to provide the needs of the families, ensuring that they do not lack.

A cleric, who was at the event, Bishop Nuel Ikeakanam, prayed and asked God to “give us men and women and strategies to see that the vulnerable in the society can receive help.”

Rev. Canon Kingsley Dieli, a care giver at St. Barnabas Anglican Orphanage/Motherless Babies Home, Asaba was full of praise for Dame Okowa, who he addressed as “Mama Delta’’. He said “Mama Delta, you may not know the extent to which what you are doing has affected lives. We thank you for what you are doing; for going all out to help the needy.”

Dame Okowa, who laced her exhortation with choruses of praise to the Almighty God, explained that although 05 Initiative had celebrated World Orphans Day every year since 2016,“2019 celebration is particularly outstanding’’.

She said: “Every child has a right to protection and is entitled to a complete and fulfilled life. But my heart bleeds each time I see parents especially mothers maltreating their domestic staff. Our aim of gathering here annually is not for show, but to talk to ourselves on ways to add value to the lives of these children.

“As part of our mission to feed the hungry and provide shelter for the homeless, this year’s celebration will not be different; we have food items for the various orphanages and families.”

Obviously pleased with the magnanimous activities of Okowa, Mrs. Chukwudum Presca of Shalom Orphanage, Ibusa said: “I am very happy and excited that we have a mother like Her Excellency, Mrs. Edith Okowa in this state. She is a blessing to Delta state and to the orphans. I pray for her that God will bless her and bring people like Aaron and Hai to hold her hand, so that this initiative will not die.”

For Miss Chidinma Nwokoye of Happy Home Orphanage, Okwe, the ceremony is a very good event. “Her Excellency is helping the orphanages by sending them food, clothes for their well being.”

Rev. Sister Agnes of Mother of Divine Grace Orphanage said: “We are happy and grateful to god for this event. This is the fourth year we benefited. We pray to God to bless Mrs. Edith Okowa. Our message to others is that they should copy what she is doing.”

• Abiandu writes from Asaba