Victor EzejaIn its usual tradition for the last three decades, the Pat Utomi Widow Support Centre (WSC) has celebrated the 2022 Season of Love for Widows in Lagos.
The Widow Support Centre which is currently anchored by Prof. Pat Utomi’s Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL), is a foundation focused on empowering widows in different areas of endeavour.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelUtomi in his opening remark said the Centre established in 1992, through the Pat Utomi Trust For Human Existence, is to add value to the lives of widows and children and also help them overcome the burden and challenges they face due to the demise of their husbands.
“The vision of the Pat Utomi Widow Support Centre is to build a world of empowered widows through social welfare, mindset reorientation, income generation, and advocacy. Every year the centre celebrates the following programmes with the widows: International Women’s Day, which holds every year on March 8; International Widows Day, (23rd of June).
“At the centre, we are holding today, Season of Love held every December. The Season of Love is an empowerment programme organised to celebrate and empower widows and put smiles on their faces,” Utomi said.
In a chat with Prime Business Africa on the sideline, the coordinator of the Widow Support Centre, Mrs. Anuli Nnaemeka Ohiboke, said that currently there are more than 250 widows registered in the centre.
She said the widows are given access to non-interest loans to support their businesses, adding that many of them have in the past benefited from different empowerment programmes such as soap making, bead making, cosmetology, etc.
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“Every year we try to do something, even if it is for five people, we try to put them into different entrepreneurship skills. This year we undertook it for ten of the widows. During International Women’s Day, we were able to sponsor at least 10 people in different skills- some into soap making, beading making and other skills. So, we send them to different vocational schools and this year we were able to empower 10 people.”
She noted that the skill acquisition programme is meant for young widows and young girls of the widows registered with the centre, who have the capacity to learn skills.
The coordinator also disclosed that the programme is usually sponsored by different organisations every year though the centre didn’t get much sponsorship this year as it used to get, probably because of the status of the economy currently.
She called on corporate organisations and philanthropic-minded individuals to see the need to support the noble course of the centre for the welfare of widows in society.
In his words of exhortation during the event held at St. Anthony Catholic Church Gbaja, Surulere, Pastor Femi Ogunsanya encouraged the widows not to see themselves as perpetually vulnerable in society but brace up and hold on to God’s promises to His faithful ones. Quoting some verses in the Holy Bible, Pastor Ogunsanya urged the women to be consistent with their faith in God and they shall be blessed at the appointed time.
Just like in other years, the women were given goodies such as Bags of rice, noodles, wrappers and other materials to share among themselves.
Some of the widows sang melodious songs thanking God for their lives and blessings upon their households since the passing of their husbands.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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