It is a passion that is seemingly strange in the kind of business she works in. Bankers are more known for extracting kobo here and there to maximize profit and not for giving. Mrs. Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, a top executive with one of Nigeria’s big banks, certainly does not see herself as a converted Shylock, claiming to have drawn inspiration from her parents.

Whatever philanthropic inspiration the young Chinwe saw in her parents, however, pales to the big steps she has taken in philanthropy. Chinwe’s humanitarian focus is mainly channelled to widows and their children. She has lately established the Chinwe Bode-Akinwande Foundation, (CBA Foundation) to further pursue the goal.

The foundation with headquarters in Lagos has a five-point agenda for widows including Capacity Building, Self-Employment Schemes, Health Interventions, Nutrition and Basic education for children.

Ahead of the formal launch of the CBA Foundation in Lagos next Sunday, Mrs. Bode-Akinwande, gives an insight into the her relationship with widows among other things.

Excerpts:

By Emmanuel Aziken

What prompted you into this calling towards the underprivileged widows and their children?

One of my hearty passions in life is to see needy widows filled with hope despite the demise of their partners and the vacuum such departure has created. This hope comes from reassurance and empowerment that affords them the opportunity to pick up their lives again and forge ahead. Same applies to their most vulnerable children; offer assistance for them to continue their basic education, protect their dignity, teach them societal values and give them a hope for the future. HOPE we define at CBA Foundation as Happiness Of Purpose Embraced.

Bode-Akinwade

To what extent does your present job interfere with your devotions to the foundation?

There are staff and volunteers that are fully dedicated to the activities of the Foundation. Hence, it does not interfere with my present job. The Board of Trustees also devotes time to the affairs of the Foundation. My weekends and few hours in the night are devoted to the affairs of the Foundation.

Bankers are looked upon as Shylocks. So, what makes your case different that you are now a giver?

That is a wrong perception which I do not know where it’s coming from. There are lots of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability projects which are centered on giving back to the society championed by bankers. I, as an individual believe in giving. Giving to me is loving and loving is giving.

What is your vision for the foundation?

We believe in sustainable development. Our programs aim to give underprivileged widows and their vulnerable children in Nigeria, the support and voice needed to create a better future.

Our aim is to support the voice and position of the underprivileged widows and their children in the society through partnerships, empowerment and capacity building.

The success of the launch depends largely on the quality of participation, and the support guests will give us. We are looking forward to active participation by donating to our identified agenda as a foundation. Monetary donation is counted as a huge asset to make this work a success.

We will also appreciate their support to the work of CBA Foundation by them sharing practical experiences, words of advice, handshakes in form of connections to networks of relevance, non-monetary gifts that speak to our core areas and volunteering to facilitate during our workshops.

How long have you been involved in this work?

CBA Foundation commenced skeletal operations in 2014 by reaching out to a group of widows in Anambra state (Nnewi to be precise) and in Lagos.

What has been the impact of the outreach of the foundation? How many widows have you reached out to and in what ways?

Hope has been expressed the way we have always defined it in CBA Foundation, that is, Happiness Of Purpose Embraced. In Nnewi, in 2014, we reached out to about 75 widows by distributing bags of rice, cartons of noodles, beverages, washing detergents and fabrics. In Lagos, we have reached out to seven widows, by first guiding them in developing a business plan after which money was given to them to start off business (Grocery stores & hairdressing salon). We also provided financial support to enable their children go back to school.

In what way are your family members, husband, children involved in this and do they see your outreach to the widows as a distraction of your love and commitment to them?

My family and loved ones are so excited and very much committed to the work. I leave a compartmentalized lifestyle, ensuring that my family time is not eaten into what I do. They rather see the outreach as theirs as well and volunteer wherever they find the opportunity to.

Any other comment

The underprivileged widows and their children are not given much attention in our society. Some widows go through a lot in the hands of their husbands’ family in the name of tradition. Some of them are stripped of their belongings, thrown out to the streets and accused wrongly. I encourage many more people to heed to the call of humanity. Start from your immediate environment and make the world a better place. Spot that underprivileged widow and her children and be an answer to prayer.