A nongovernmental organization based in Oyo State, Akin and Funke Laosun Foundation, which is an offshoot of an international body, the Gate of Praise (GOP) Foundation, on Wednesday gave seed money to some widows in Ibadan to boost their businesses. In order to make life easier on them and help them have a smooth sail on the path to financial independence.
The foundation carried out the empowerment because it believes that widowhood is not a status many prepare for and the women need assistance to be able to meet up with the challenges of single parenthood.
The widows were also given food items and clothing materials so that they would not need to use the money given to boost their business to feed due to financial challenges.
Speaking on the reason behind the initiative, Akinwale Omololu Laosun, an ordained minister and brain behind the initiative, stated that the initiative is not in any way related to politics but is a venture born out of love for the hopeless situation many widows find themselves when they suddenly get pushed to the dark side of life by the death of their spouse. He added that the main aim of the initiative is to give widows joy by giving them financial independence that would put them in a better position to cater for their children.
He explained that it was not the first time the foundation had done this as the initiative had been on for years as support networks to alleviate the sufferings of vulnerable widows selected from diverse rural communities in the society, to enable them survive the harsh economic conditions.
According to him, the vision is precipitated by the instructions in the Bible as stated in James 1:27, adding that widows in this part of the world encounter diverse challenges which include loss of financial support and violation of their rights as a result of harmful widowhood practices.
According to him, the core objective of the initiative is to make widows financially dependent and make life better for them in obedience to the work of God.
“I want to encourage those who have to always ensure they reach out to the less privileged. It is not about amassing wealth for ourselves but about making sure that our country is developed and everyone has a good life. We should all be involved in giving to the less -privileged in the society. This is a continuous process. We have been moving around communities but today, we have 15 widows benefitting from the Dugbe empowerment. The figure is low because this is not a one-off thing. We will monitor their progress and still give support until the business can stand on its own.
“That is why we have their contacts and we asked them to bring testimonials so that we know what the challenge is and how to help solve them. Every business we help them start, we will also help them build until they are indeed independent financially,” Laosun stated.
Talking about the initiative, one of the beneficiaries stated that it was, indeed encouraging that some people considered it necessary to help widows without asking for anything in return, adding that the kind of empowerment given would go a long way since it was meant to give them financial power. “With what we were given today, I can start a trade and build it to enable me make money for my upkeep,” She said.
The foundation reiterated its commitment to ensuring that every beneficiary becomes independent financially before leaving them to fend for themselves, adding that the number of beneficiaries wouldcontinue to increase as the project moves across communities without jeopardizing the interest of existing beneficiaries.
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