The Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT) has reaffirmed that its mission extends beyond religious activities, as it empowered 60 young widows with business support items as part of activities marking the commemoration of International Widows’ Day and the launch of its Silver Lining for Women and Children Supportive Initiative (SILWIN).

Speaking at the event, held at the NASFAT headquarters at the LSSM Extension Alausa Lagos, the National Women’s Affairs Secretary, Alhaja Ganiyat Babalola, said that SILWIN as the the 11th agency of NASFAT, is an humanitarian initiative dedicated to supporting vulnerable women and children through sustainable programmes that restore hope, protect dignity and promote self-reliance.

She said: “Through SILWIN, NASFAT is strengthening its commitment to protecting the vulnerable, restoring hope where it has been diminished, and empowering women and children to live with dignity, purpose and renewed confidence.”

She highlighted that the initiative would provide interventions that focus on supporting victims and survivors of gender-based violence, caring for orphans and vulnerable children, promoting access to education for out-of-school girls, strengthening livelihoods for disadvantaged women, and collaborating with government agencies, development partners and communities to address social vulnerabilities in a holistic and sustainable manner.

Speaking on the support for the widows, the National Economic Empowerment Secretary of NASFAT, Fawsat Folashade Adegeye, said that the widows were provided with business items such as beverages, hairdressing materials, tailoring supplies, catering equipment and other business essentials, tailored to their specific trades instead of cash grants.

She explained that the reason for distributing business items instead of cash was that previous experiences showed that cash grants were often diverted to urgent household expenses rather than invested in businesses.

“We discovered that when cash is given, beneficiaries sometimes spend it on immediate family needs, leaving them without a sustainable source of income. By providing business items, they can continue trading, make profits and reinvest in their businesses for long-term growth,” she said.

Adegeye added that the beneficiaries were selected from NASFAT branches nationwide through the organisation’s zonal and branch empowerment secretaries.

According to her, the selection process focused on identifying vulnerable widows of working age who are still raising children and facing financial responsibilities such as school fees and rent.

In her keynote address, the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) is Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, who was represented by Mrs. Mumuney Omotoyosi, highlighted the challenges that widows are facing in the society such as disinheritance, eviction, stigma and harmful traditional rites.

She emphasised that it is high time these inhumane leveled against widow were addressed, noting that, “the death of a spouse is not only a personal loss, it becomes a loss of status, income, land, home and community.”

Vivour-Adeniyi advocated for equal social protection systems for women that does not assume a male breadwinner as well as supporting them with capital so that they can cater for their household to stay healthy and grow stronger.

She noted that the International Widows’ Day, should serve not only about rememberance but repair, moving from sympathy to systems, from pity to policy and charity to justice.

“To every widow, we see you. Your grief is not weakness. Your perseverance is not invisible. You are not a burden to be tolerated or a problem to be solved. You are a citizen with rights, a parent with dream and a leader whose voice we need, ” she said.