An international non-governmental organisation, Women at the Well of Living Waters (W@LW), launched an agricultural project, Agri-Farm Fair 2024, tagged “Women at the Well Festival of Corn and Cassava Implant,” aimed at bringing women together to rediscover themselves and to give voice to the voiceless.
Speaking at the farm launch site at Owerrinta in Isialangwa South LGA, the founder and CEO of the organisation, Pastor Mrs Jessica Edmund, explained, “I experienced long-term homelessness, abuse, addiction, and societal stigma due to my delay in having children. I made up my mind that no woman would go through what I went through.
“Now, I am on a mission to help other people see endless possibilities through the lens of my stories and ascertain what steps to take to actualise their dreams.”.
She further disclosed, “At present, I gear them towards a positive future by providing education, skills, and progressive services for the engagement, advancement, and establishment of women and men by default in all spheres of life.
“We are giving women a licence to dream because there is no limit to what they can achieve, and we assure them through our stories that nothing should make them feel less of who they are; their past doesn’t determine their future, marriage or no marriage, having children or not, or family background.
“We educate women on the importance of identity and self-realisation because if you don’t know where you are coming from, you will not know where you are going. W@LW is not just an ordinary charity but a movement and cultural revolution.
“We are a volunteer-led and run organisation. Our volunteers are motivated by a variety of concerns shared by those in need and want to use their already-acquired skills to help both in Africa and in the Diaspora. One of the challenges we have been facing in Africa is finding a suitable centre where we can operate to feed the hungry and help the hopeless. However, that hasn’t stopped us.”
“Feedback from people the organisation has supported over the last years, she said, “shows that we have and are making a big difference in helping to reduce people’s isolation and hunger, creating social tables and meeting their basic needs such as food, clothing, and warm spaces, as well as building their all-round skills.
“Above all, we are thrilled to share that we have successfully raised a permanent space where we aim to feed and clothe the homeless and support the poor. We are overwhelmed and truly grateful to people because their generosity has made this possible.”.
Also speaking at the site of the farm launch at Owerrinta, a trustee of the organisation and lecturer at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, MOUAU, Rev. Fr. Innocent Ekeagwu, said. “Jessica was motivated by the biblical Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, and using her experience, Jessica is now bringing women together to help them rediscover themselves and also to help give them the opportunity to succeed in life.”.
According to him, the organisation has branches all over the world, including in Germany and the United Kingdom, in many countries in Africa, and in many states in Nigeria, stating that the farm project is part of the Abia State branch of the organisation. The organisation, he said, intends to also open a school, event, and administrative centre and replicate feeding the poor in the state as Jessica does in the UK.
According to the Abia State President and Vice President of the group, Mrs. Cyrina Gerald Kanu, “the programme is all about giving women sustainability and elevation and making them comfortable to live a healthy and happy life. To achieve this, we bring them together by training them and enabling them to bring out their talents.
Trainees of the programme, including Madam Goodluck Enyike and Ahiaoma Dennis, expressed their excitement over the programme and their hope to benefit from it.
The organisation pleaded with the government at all levels to assist them in terms of electricity, boreholes, agricultural equipment, and finance.
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