No fewer than 200 widows have been pencilled down to benefit from the series of empowerment programmes set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Helpline Foundation for the Needy Abuja.
The founder of the NGO, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, said 20 of these widows will specifically be recognised for withstanding all odds and breaking barriers to become leaders in their chosen endeavours.
According to a pre-event statement signed Ahmadu, the line up of events will commence from 23rd June to coincide with the International Widows Day.
She said the foundation will be launching a book titled Rise from the Ashes: a Compelling Tale of Women Journeying through Widowhood, as well as an “Ajadu show”, a documentary on the ordeal of widows.
The book, also an expose on the harrowing experiences widows go through, is meant to erase wrong perceptions many hold about widows so they can be treated better.
Climax of the 20th anniversary celebration is slated for December with a series of activities for vulnerable people and special recognition of all those who kept faith in the Foundation over the years.
The statement reveals that the Foundation is currently working on empowering widows through aggressive partnerships to enable donors and partner organizations adopt some communities and fund the scheme.
Recall that the International Widows Day is a day set aside by the United Nations Organization “To draw attention to the voices and experiences of widows and to galvanize the unique support that they need”.
This year’s Day is celebtated with the theme: “Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”.
Helpline for the Needy Abuja was founded as a charity organisation in 2003 with the mission to advocate for and carry out upliftment of women and children.
In its two decades of existence, the non-profit making organisation has been in the forefront, catering for vulnerable women, especially widows who are stereotyped and marginalized.
Its non-profit revolving loan scheme has impacted over 700 women across 30 different clusters in FCT, Kogi, Nassarawa, Kaduna, Niger and Enugu states.