By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

SUCCOUR has come the way of 46 widows in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, as SIL Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering positive change and sustainable development in Nigeria has given to them grants assistance to improve their standard of living.

Speaking to journalists after doling out the financial assistance to the indigent widows on the significance of the event, the Chief Executive Officer of SIL Foundation, Mrs. Ubile Charity Lawson said the organisation decided to observe the International Widows Day which came up last Sunday and to use the opportunity to empower some widows in the FCT.

She said over the years, SIL Foundation has provided support to about 2,800 individuals, offering them capacity building, counselling, peer support, livelihood grants and skills development programmes, adding that the Foundation holds the empowerment outreach biannually and sometimes three times yearly.

She explained that the event provides opportunity to assist widows in dire need of funds to start small businesses that will make their lives better.

According to her, SIL Foundation usually provides grants ranging from N50,000 to N300,000 to the widows based on assessment of individual needs.

She said, “We usually look at the individuals, assess them. Some of them may not give the true picture of things, some may have children that cares for them but what seek for are those who are really in need of assistance.

“This year, we are reaching out to about 46 widows mostly from the Gwagwalada Area Council in the FCT. About 36 of the widows are from the Gwagwalada area while 10 were drawn from Area Councils in Abuja metropolis.”

She further stated that in addition to those that received the grants, there were other widows who were assisted to obtain loans for their businesses as well.

Lawson who hails from Abonema, a Calabari community in Rivers state, said that she and her husband started the organisation by reaching out to widows and less privileged in their town.

She said that Foundation’s major area of focus is addressing the pressing social challenges of women and the girl child in Nigeria.

Fielding question on whether there is any for of partnership between the Foundation and the government or any group in carrying out the humanitarian services, Lawson said that for now SIL is relying on funds provided by her family.

She also said that until recently,  they have avoided publicity while doing it’s charity work.

Speaking to journalists, one of the beneficiaries and the leader of Gwagwalada Area Council Widows association, Mrs. Lucy Samuel expressed gratitude to the Foundation for the humanitarian assistance.

She said: “We have gained a lot of things. This Foundation has put smiles on our faces, it has wiped away years from the faces of widows.

“We and our children, all of us are better for it,” Mrs. Samuel said, adding that through the assistance given by the Foundation, most of the widows were able to do businesses, pay their children’s school fees and hospital bills.