Lady Evangelist Yetunde Oluwaseyifunmi Adesope is a librarian and lecturer at the Christ Apostolic Church Theology Seminary (CACTS) Ibadan campus and the founder of the Anointed Balm of Gilead Foundation a non-government organisation in Ibadan that empowers widows and the less-privileged. In this interview by KANGMWA GOFWEN, she speaks about how the girl child can be protected from cybercrime among other issues.
What are some of your activities at the Balm of Gilead Foundation?
The Anointed Balm of Gilead Foundation is a charitable organisation that aims to provide support and assistance to individuals and communities in need. Some of our activities are medical outreach, the foundation organise medical missions or clinics to provide healthcare services, screenings, and treatments to underserved populations. Education initiatives, we offer scholarships and sponsor educational programs. Humanitarian aid, the foundation also provide emergency relief and support during times of natural disasters or crises, including distributing food, water, and other essential supplies. We also carry out community development projects. We work on projects that promote sustainable development and support small-scale businesses.
Empowerment programmes, the foundation offer vocational training, entrepreneurship support and life skills workshops to empower individuals and help them become self-sufficient. Orphanage and foster care support is also something we do. We provide resources, funding, and assistance to orphanages and foster care programmes, ensuring that children in need receive proper care, education, and support. Lastly, advocacy and awareness campaigns. The foundation raise awareness about social issues, advocate for policy changes, engage in public campaigns to address specific challenges faced by marginalised widows and less privileged.
What inspired you to start the foundation and how long has it been running?
To God be the glory and adoration for His mercy endures forever. We celebrated our seventh year anniversary this year 2023, the foundation was established on 13th of August 2016. What really inspired me was God’s command that instructed me to leave my job to do His work in which I obeyed after so many warnings.
Do you think women get the required support from family and society after the husband passes on?
From what I’ve witness so far in the course of taking care of widows, the women do not get the required support from family and society after husband passes on hence the reason I now see God calling me to the task of taking care of them and to God be the glory He’s been sustaining me all these years
Catering to widows and the less privileged in the society is a huge task. What is your motivation?
My motivation is taken from the word of God in the book of Psalms 41:1-2 Blessed is he that consider the poor… and will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. Taking care of the less privileges is a sure way of God answering ones prayer speedily.
The theme for this year’s International Day for the Girl Child is “Digital generation, our generation.” With growing technology how do you think girls can be protected from being used to commit cybercrimes?
Protecting girls from being used for cyber crimes requires a multi-faceted approach that involves education, empowerment, and ensuring a safe online environment. We can protect them by providing digital literacy and education; promote digital literacy programs that educate girls about online safety, responsible internet usage, and the risks associated with cyber crimes. Teach them about the importance of protecting personal information, recognising phishing attempts, and understanding the consequences of sharing explicit content. We should provide empowerment and self-confidence, encourage girls to develop self-confidence and assertiveness, both online and offline. This can help them recognise and resist potential manipulative tactics used by cyber criminals. Promote positive role models and mentorship programs that inspire girls to pursue careers in technology and cybersecurity, empowering them to take control of their online experiences. Also, parents and guardians play a crucial role in protecting girls from cyber crimes. They should be educated about online risks and actively engage in their child’s online activities. Encourage open communication between parents and children, creating a safe space for discussing concerns and seeking guidance.
Strong passwords and privacy settings is another way of protecting our girls. Teach girls the importance of creating strong, unique passwords for their online accounts. Encourage them to use two-factor authentication whenever possible. Teach them how to configure privacy settings on social media platforms and other online services to limit the amount of personal information visible to strangers. Parents should also promote the use of age-appropriate online safety tools and resources, such as parental control software, content filtering, and safe browsing extensions. These tools can help protect girls from accessing inappropriate content and prevent them from falling victim to cyber crimes. Establish clear reporting mechanisms for cyber crimes and ensure girls know how to seek help if they encounter any online harassment, stalking, or other malicious activities. Encourage them to report incidents to trusted adults, schools, or relevant authorities. Partnerships between governments, educational institutions, NGOs, and technology companies to develop comprehensive strategies for protecting girls online. Collaborate with internet service providers and social media platforms to enforce stricter policies against cyber crimes and provide safer online environments for girls. And lastly, conduct awareness campaigns to educate girls, parents, educators, and the community about the risks of cyber crimes and the importance of online safety. These campaigns can include workshops, seminars, and public service announcements to raise awareness and promote responsible digital citizenship.
Remember, protecting girls from cyber crimes requires collective effort and ongoing vigilance together we can help girls navigate the digital world with confidence and security.
What are some areas that the government can come in to support widows?
Governments can play a crucial role in supporting widows by implementing policies and programs that address their specific needs and challenges. Governments can establish social welfare programs that provide financial assistance to widows to help cover basic living expenses, such as food, housing, and healthcare. Enact and enforce laws that protect widows’ rights, including inheritance rights, property rights, and protection from discrimination and abuse. Provide access to education, government can provide educational opportunities for widows, enabling them to acquire new skills and improve their employability. This includes scholarships and adult education programs. Government should ensure access to affordable healthcare services, especially for widows who may be vulnerable due to limited financial resources. This can include free or subsidised healthcare and mental health services. Create job placement and training programmes for widows, focusing on industries where they may be underrepresented or disadvantaged and support widows in gaining access to financial services, such as microcredit programmes, that enable them to start or expand small businesses and become economically self-sufficient. Also, provide assistance for widows in caring for their children, including affordable childcare services, after-school programmes, and parental leave policies. Offer counselling and support services for widows to help them cope with the emotional and psychological challenges of losing a spouse. Governments can raise awareness about the issues widows face and advocate for their rights and well-being. Government should provide housing assistance by implementing housing programs that help widows secure safe and affordable housing, especially if they are at risk of becoming homeless after their spouse’s death. The elderly women shouldn’t be left out, they should ensure that widows are included in social security and pension schemes, so they have financial support as they age and provide protection from any discrimination and Stigma by enforcing laws and policies that protect widows from discrimination and stigmatisation within their communities and workplaces. Most importantly, collaborate with non-governmental organisations and community groups that work to support widows, leveraging their expertise and outreach.
Supporting widows is not only a matter of social justice but also an investment in the well-being of families and communities. Government have a critical role to play in ensuring that widows have the necessary support to lead fulfilling and financially stable lives after the loss of a spouse.
What are some challenges you have come across since you started the foundation?
Some of the challenges we faced was when we empowered some of the women with materials to start small scale businesses, we gave them grinding machines, sewing machines, camp gas and other things but they went home and sold them. It was frustrating and discouraging for us. So what we do now is to follow up with them to track progress and also ensure that those materials are used effectively.
What is your advice to widows that are struggling in one way or the other?
My advice to widows and the less privileged is that they should stop spending so much on buying clothes for party (aseobi) from their business money. When we give them little money to start a business they should stop spending it on party. When they remove N2,000 today, N1,000 tomorrow the money will finish and before they know it they are back to ground zero.
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