NGO empowers widows, PWDs in Suleja

As part of humanitarian intervention aimed at easing the hardship faced by vulnerable groups, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Ella Helps Foundation (EHF), has empowered 460 widows, supported persons living with disabilities (PWD) and donated over 3,000 exercise books to public schools in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State. 

The annual widows’ empowerment programme, which was held on Friday at Lace Hotel and Suites, Suleja, attracted traditional rulers, clerics, business leaders, medical professionals and other community stakeholders.

The event also featured a free medical outreach during which widows and other participants received basic healthcare services from volunteer medical personnel.

According to the organisers, beneficiaries were selected in collaboration with community leaders and local associations across Suleja and its environs with support provided in cash and materials to help widows rebuild livelihoods and improve household welfare.

Tribune Online reports that the donation of exercise books was aimed at reducing the burden of learning materials on public school pupils, particularly children from low-income households. Financial assistance and relief materials were also distributed to persons living with disabilities as part of EHF’s commitment to inclusive humanitarian support.

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the event, the founder of EHF, Mrs Christy Ella Edwin, said her passion for widows was driven by personal experience.

“I have been saying this. I have stayed to see my mother as a single mother and also as a widow. I see what she has gone through. And at a time, even when I got married and my husband died, I still experienced the same thing, so I have that passion for widows. I can say it’s a choice. There is something that inspired me to do this,” she said.

She disclosed that the Foundation was planning to expand its interventions beyond Suleja Local Government Area.

The Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Awwal Ibrahim, commended the initiative, describing it as rare and impactful. Represented by the Dagaci and District Head, Alhaji Bello Saleh, the monarch praised the Foundation for restoring hope to widows and the less privileged.

“I don’t know the language I will use, but it’s more than fantabulous. It is very rare to see this kind of thing happening around us. So, I am happy and elated to be part of this. We will carry the message to our people that there is someone that God has sent to assist weaker people,” the monarch stated.

He further noted that the Emirate Council was aware that the Foundation has sustained the initiative for over five years, expressing confidence that it would continue to grow.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the PWDs in Suleja LGA, Mohammed Abdullahi, who spoke in Hausa, thanked the Foundation for its assistance to the group particularly the financial support extended during the disability outreach.

The intervention came at a time when economic pressures continue to worsen the plight of widows across many communities, where the loss of a spouse often results in sudden financial instability, social vulnerability and limited access to healthcare and education for children, particularly in the absence of formal social safety nets.

Beneficiaries who testified at the event said the intervention had eased their pain and suffering, noting that the support had helped revive their small businesses and also enabled them to feed their families and send their children back to school.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE