Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation distributes N39m to widows, others in Lagos

A faith-based charity organisation, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), has disbursed N39 million zakat to 104 beneficiaries that include widows and people battling with health challenges, some of whom are non-Muslims.

The distribution, held at the Alausa Secretariat Central Mosque, Ikeja, was meant to commemorate the 2022 International Widows Day.

The executive director of the foundation, Prince Sulayman Olagunju, lamented that widows all over the world were passing through a lot of hardship which include loneliness, poverty, burden of catering for their children, alienation, discrimination and stigmatisation.

Olagunju said that the security situation in the country had worsened the condition of many widows.

“Our foundation has been working assiduously to alleviate some of the challenges confronting widows as much as we can. We engage in series of counselling, training and economic empowerment schemes for widows,” he said.

Olagunju called on wealthy Nigerians to come to the aid of the foundation, especially in the area of medical support, to save more lives.

He said: “The amount required to effectively take care of the medical needs of applicants is far beyond what we were able to give them. For example, we had an applicant that needed about N15 million and we could only give her N2 million.

“Our foundation has over the years been assisting widows, people with health challenges and communities to live a comfortable life. We will not rest on our oars. We will continue to help the helpless in the society and make life meaningful to the downtrodden.”

 

The chairman of the foundation, Professor Tajudeen Yusuf, a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos, emphasised that the foundation doesn’t look at colour, tribe or religious background before rendering assistance.

“Ours is to assist humanity, be it Muslims, Christians and people of other faiths. The people you see here today didn’t just come. They were invited by us for economic empowerment, health and educational support.

“But before the invitation, they had been interviewed and we were able to know their challenges with the purpose of finding solutions to them. That is why we have invited the beneficiaries from different parts of the country,” he said.

A beneficiary, Balkees Owolabi, thanked the foundation for the support.

“I lost my husband last year. I needed support and Alhamdulillah, I got it,” she said

Another widow, Monsurat Raheem, said: “I faced a lot of challenges, especially financial, after the death of my husband. But when I came to the ZSF for support, I found favour,” she said.