Get Guardian on GoogleA Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Widow’s Mite Initiative International, restated its commitment to prioritising the welfare of widows across Nigeria and beyond, stressing that they must not be neglected amid the economic challenges facing the country.
Launched in April 2006, the organisation has empowered thousands of widows by providing stipends, welfare support, and vocational training to beneficiaries and vulnerable families, enabling them to meet their responsibilities without becoming dependants.
In an interview with The Guardian, the founder, Pastor Florence Olorunnipa, recalled that the foundation was set up as a divine mandate to support widows and vulnerable families.
She attributed her philanthropic drive to the lessons she drew from her family upbringing, describing her mother and brother as major philanthropists who consistently support the indigents without letting it affect the family.
Olorunnipa added that the foundation was born with no government funding or political backing, but through sustained personal sacrifice and donor support.
She said the initiative, which has a permanent facility in Iyara, Ijumu Local Council of Kogi State, has expanded into digital education in response to the growing concern of computer-based tests by national examination bodies.
Speaking on the insecurity challenge facing the country, she urged Nigerians in Diaspora not to run from home, noting that even in America, there are mass shootings in supermarkets, cinemas and public spaces, yet life continues.
