NewsCBA Foundation Launches Social Enterprise Initiative For Underprivileged Widows

CBA Foundation Launches Social Enterprise Initiative For Underprivileged Widows

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March 06, (THEWILL) – The CBA Foundation has launched a new ‘Social Enterprise Initiative’ aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of all efforts to protect and promote the welfare of widows as well as their children.

The Social Enterprise Initiative is to cater to the financial, mental and physical health needs of beneficiaries.

It would as well provide comprehensive support, including health interventions, skill acquisition, business set-up, food and drinks, clothes and shoes, and general support for targeted widows.

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Explaing the initiative, Founder/CEO of CBA Foundation, Mrs Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, said: “We have been doing outreaches and it has been non-stop, but the essence of this Social Enterprise Initiative is for the widows to have something that will sustain them even for a longer period, something that will give them hope, knowing that they have a sustainable source of livelihood and activities that remind them that they need to keep going.”

She revealed when and how the idea for the new initiative began: “When the lockdown came last year (2020), we realised that there was a need again to have something sustainable for these women.

“With the Social Enterprise Initiative, we identify the skills they need to possess, and what they are passionate about, we also empower them with the necessary training and then set them up with all they need for the business. At the end of the day, they won’t have to wait daily for the CBA Foundation to give them food or clothing.”

Mrs Bode-Akinwande noted that the Initiative had been informed by a rigorous analysis of the data in their database, gathered over the years on widows whom they have reached out to and the support they have been receiving from both individual and corporate donors.

She said the Foundation had dimensioned all the critical issues from widows with critical needs, where it needed to begin its interventions, notably to set up business for them while also ensuring their children reinstated back in school.

The CEO however disclosed that plans were underway at the foundation to take the skills acquisition training further, beginning with adire-making (tie and dye). She announced that the foundation would have a line of products that would be its adire pattern, displaying its unique signature. When sold, a percentage of the profit would be ploughed back into the foundation as a constant stream of income.

The idea, she stressed, would inspire the widows who “show a keen interest in adire-making as they would be involved and exposed to its value chain which is essential to optimising their execution after their training.

“So, the adire-making training followed with tutorials on the step-by-step processes involved in it, materials needed and how to identify them, necessary safety precautions, various tie and dye techniques, packaging and distribution and how to make a living from adire-making.”

At the event, held in Lagos and Anambra, widows with impaired vision received free consultations with an ophthalmologist, free eye tests and reading glasses, courtesy of a partnership between FirstBank and Vision Spring.

Some of the beneficiaries spoke, while relating their joy:

59-year-old Hassanat Oyewunmi, remarked that her farsightedness challenge had been addressed. She confessed excitedly that she felt “better, much better now with the glasses, and I can even see everyone clearly. It is good to know that we are not forgotten.”

Olabode Sadiat, 62, could not contain her joy as she wore her glasses and pointed in the distance, while indicating that she could see everything in her line of sight. She had suffered from a blurry vision that made reading her Bible difficult. “Nothing is more painful than not being able to read your Bible,” she had noted following the medical intervention.

The widows also received food, drinks, clothing and other materials that were distributed during the outreach.

Mrs Bode-Akinwande, however assured them that they were not alone and could always count on the support of the CBA Foundation.

In all, 165 widows across the six communities of Ibeju-Lekki, namely: Badore, Iberekodo, Museyo, Magbon Alade, Okunola Ilado and Magbon Iga, benefitted on 4th December 2021 when the Lagos outreach was held.

In the the Anambra outreach, held on 24th December, 2021, l a total of 75 widows from four communities in the Nnewi area of the state, benefitted.

Food items and financial empowerment were also shared to the Anambra widows to celebrate the festive season.

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