Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation organises ‘Memorable Ramadan’ for widows in Oyo

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6 years ago

The lecturer, Hajiya Sherifat Akinlabi Raji, flanked by the female coordinator of Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) in Oyo State, Hajiya Rizqat AbdulGaniy (left) and a member of the foundation, Hajiya Rafat AbdulQadir, during the maiden edition of the annual “Memorable Ramadan” organised for widows by the Oyo State ZSF, in Ibadan, last weekend.

THE Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), Oyo State chapter, last weekend, in Ibadan, presented edible grains and cash gifts to 50 widows as a way of heralding this year’s Ramadan.

The state Administrative Officer of the foundation, Malam Qasim Durojaye, said the initiative, tagged “Memorable Ramadan,” was aimed at, henceforth, making the holy month of fasting remarkable for widows among the ummah, particularly those without adequate financial protection.

“Widows and orphans are the most vulnerable in our society and one of the aims and objectives of Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation is to assist them.

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“In our society today, even women whose husbands are alive are in need of help let alone those who have lost their husbands. We have to make this Ramadan a memorable one for them by giving them little things to start the holy month with. We call the programme ‘Memorable Ramadan and this is the maiden edition and it is going to be an annual event.

“We are presenting N5,000 worth of food items and N5,000 cash to each of the beneficiaries, numbering 50. Half a million naira is being spent today for the benefitting widows.

“Part of our mission is to assist the rich to assist the poor and we are using this medium to tell the rich in our society that there are people who need their assistance. Through their zakat and sadaqat donation to our organisation, they can reach a lot of people. We are going to get those indigent people you cannot get. Let your money work for you by entrusting us with it,” Malam Durojaye said.

The widows were also sensitised to ways of surmounting challenges that come with their status in the society by Hajiya Sherifat Akinlabi Raji.

Hajya Akinlabi Raji, who was also once a widow before she remarried, shared with her audience her experience and spoke extensively on how to cope with the challenges of widowhood within the scope of Islam.

She called for the protection of the mental and material well-being of widows through the cessation of what she described as unwholesome cultural beliefs and practices that subject them to cruel and unfair treatments.