Founder of the Chinwe Bode-Akinwande
Foundation, Mrs. Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, has said that the need to assist
underprivileged widows led to its formation.
The foundation was recently inaugurated
at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, where several dignitaries commended the
founder and pledged support.
Among them was the Group Head, Corporate
Communication and Marketing, First Bank Plc, Folake Ani-Mumuney, who
gave a keynote address.
According to Bode-Akinwande, CBA was established to empower widows and their vulnerable children.
She noted that the foundation had a
five-point agenda for widows, including capacity building,
self-employment schemes, health interventions, nutrition and basic
education for children.
She said, “One of my 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 afford them the opportunity to pick up
their lives again and forge ahead. The same applies to their most
vulnerable children. We will offer them assistance to continue their
basic education, protect their dignity, teach them societal values and
give them a hope for the future. This is the HOPE we define as Happiness
of Purpose Embraced.”
She added that the foundation’s vision was anchored on its belief in sustainable development.
Ani-Mumuney explained that culturally, widows had been subjected to all kinds of maltreatment after their husbands’ demise.
She said, “Often, widows lack access to
justice due to lack of education. They also suffer from the culture of
silence. It is imperative that government facilitates education for
children, especially children from widows. There is no tool more
effective than the development of women.”
0 blogger-facebook:
Post a Comment