FORTY-TWO widows selected from across communities in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, have benefited from the distribution of cash awards and food items by the Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) to give them a sense of belonging in the ongoing Ramadan fast.
The programme tagged ‘Memorable Ramadan for Widows’, which was held at the organisation’s office in Ilorin, was the third edition in the series.
Items distributed included bags of rice, beans, garri, semolina and vegetable oil worth N10,000 each and additional N5,000 cash for each of the beneficiaries.
Speaking at the event, the state female coordinator of the foundation, Hajiya Bashirat AbdulRaheem, said the programme was necessitated by the neglect and abandonment being suffered by most widows and orphans in the society.
She added that ZSF decided to reach out to the women with the cash gifts and food items to ease their burdens due to the absence of their husbands to enable them to fast with happiness and sense of belonging.
Hajiya AbdulRaheem, who called on well-to-do Muslims in the state to donate to the foundation to enable it to reach out to more widows and orphans, said that the target of the organisation this year is 400 widows.
“But we are starting with this number based on the resources at our disposal. We have expended about N600,000 so far and hope to do more as the resources flow in,” she said.
Also speaking, the state coordinator of the foundation, Dr Mukhtar Thani, said the programme would not only assist the underprivileged in the society but it would also lessen the burden on the government in its social contract with the citizens.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, one of the beneficiaries, a mother of three who lost her husband two years ago, Mrs Asia Adebayo, expressed gratitude for the gesture and called on well-meaning Nigerians to support the foundation’s activities.
“When Ramadan started, we had nothing in the house to use for the fasting. I lost my husband two years ago. It was a boy in my community that collected my particulars because of my plight and forwarded it to the foundation. I was not only given food but I also received a cash gift.
“I appeal to more people who have money to assist organisations like this because many people are hungry and suffering,” she said.
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