Over 5000 people from Ilaje community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo state benefitted from a Non-Governmental Organisation, Bruderhilfe Initiatives Empowerment Programme to support indigent people business and households.
The beneficiaries include, youths women, nursing mothers, elders and the physically challenged from Igbokoda, Ode-Ugbo, Ugbonla and Ode-Mahin, benefited from the empowerment programme of children diapers, bags, toys, text books, women bags, clothes, wheel chairs, walking sticks, health kits among others.
Speaking during the distribution of the materials to the beneficiaries, the founder of the NGO, Mrs Mary Oluwagbamigbe-Bruder, said the rationale behind the initiative was to give back to society and assist the less privileged in the society to alleviate poverty.
She said that Bruderhillife was established in 2009 to bring succour and alleviate the suffering of the masses, saying the NGO has also put smiles on the faces of the indigents in about eight states, which include, Borno, Bauchi, Sokoto, Katsina, Niger, Lagos, Osun and Ondo states respectively.
She said “We are committed to putting smiles on the faces of some of the indigent struggling to survive the economic hardship which has increased the rate of poverty in the country.
“The rate of unemployment, income inequality, poor education system, corruption and inflation and the concomitant constant increase in the cost of food items, has worsened the standards of living of the common man and woman”
While calling on spirited individuals to help the underprivileged noting that the level of poverty in the country made it necessary for the privileged to help the poor, saying it is always necessary to reach out to provide financial assistance to those in dire situations.
She called on the state governments to partner more with NGO’s and individuals to put succour on the faces of the needy saying the government understand the feelings of the masses better and should support and empower them.
According to her, “this initiative is established in order to give succour to the poor masses and downdrodden and as well give back to the society in order to meet the yearnings of poor people who may not not be captured in government programme.
“The poor masses should not give up on their present predicament, athough government can not do everything and that is why we are supporting the government in this regards.
“State governments especially should partner with more NGO’s for governments programnes for the masses to be successful because NGO’s are the ones who knows the downdrodden and what they go through.
“Most of this things we bring here, we ship them and pay a lot for them to be cleared, we urge the governments to assist us in this area for us to reach more to many people as poverty are all over these areas.
“We also embarked on a programme, “Kara-Kata (Buying and Selling) which we give an interest loan of N50,000 to our market for them to be encouraged and many of them have benefitted from.
“We appeal to other industrous sons and daughters of the land to support us so that we can increase the free loans to our market women at least N100,000 so that it can reduce poverty in our society.
“In terms of security, I am pleased to say that our security is not as worse and porous as the information we get overseas, I commend the Police and Amotekun for giving us tight security,” Oluwabamigbe-Bruder said.
A beneficiary and physicallychallenged, Mr Segun Oripenaye, commended the NGO for putting smiles on the faces of the underprivileged and for its passion for human development and called on others to emulate the NGO.
The Matron, Ode-Mahin Health Centre, Mrs Rose Ikujamoye, appreciated the NGO, saying the donation of several drugs and health equipment to the Health Centre would be put to judicious use.
The three-day programne which began on Wednesday at Ugbonla ended on Friday at Ode-Mahin.
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