By Stanley Onyekwere
In the spirit of this year’s Christmas and New Year celebrations, Helpline Foundation for the Needy has doled out assorted food items to 310 widows and 100 orphans, including other vulnerable groups in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs.
Peoples Daily reports that the gesture by Helpline, a non-governmental organization based in the nation’s capital, was the organisation’s 10th edition of bringing succor to the less privileged in the society.
For this year, assorted food items were distributed to all the beneficiaries, while three among the 100 orphans got scholarship to secondary school level.
Speaking to newsmen during the out-reach programme held at the Diplomats Park and Garden, Garki, Abuja, on Saturday, the President of the Foundation, Jumai Ahmadu, who noted that the number of widows has increased, disclosed that the Foundation has concluded plans to establish food bank at the Park, for widows and other vulnerable groups of the society.
However reiterating that the reach-out programme is targeted at the less privileged, she appealed to other NGOs and government agencies to focus more on ameliorating the plight of the less privileged.
“We are here today to reach out to widows and orphans in the FCT and its environs, which is a demonstration of God’s mercy upon our human efforts.
“Though, the number of widows has increased but with God on our side and the help of friends we are coping; the increase in the number of widows might not be unconnected with the insurgency in the country.
“However, to tackle the increase in the number of widows, we are taking another step by establishing a food bank so that the reach-out programme will be carried out every month instead of annual event.
“We have notified the leaders of the various associations about this new innovation because they will be the channel for distribution,” she said.
Ahmadu revealed that besides the reach-out programme, Helpline Foundation for the Needy had in the past embarked on capacity building in various vocational skills such as tailoring, hair dressing soap making among others.
Many of the beneficiaries, who spoke to our correspondent, thanked the Foundation for sharing the joy of the season with them.
One of the beneficiaries, Agatha Nwankwo, said that she has benefited from the scheme in the past five years.
He therefore expressed her joy and prayed to God to replenish the initiator of the annual outreach programme.
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