Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri

No fewer than 200 indigent widows in Imo State have benefitted from the sixth edition of an empowerment scheme sponsored by the Emma/Esther Foundation.

The widows, according to founder of the non-governmental organisation, Mr. Emmanuel Anyanwu, were carefully selected based on their level of need.

Besides the non-refundable micro-credits granted to the women by the foundation, food items and clothes were also presented to them to enable them enjoy the Yuletide.

There was excitement in the air at the premises of Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Council on Saturday, December 7, as the NGO brought succour to this special group in society.

The founder explained that his extension of love to the less privileged was premised on the fact that he was a living testimony to the harsh conditions experienced by the indigent.

Anyanwu said: “In my humble beginnings, I really went through hell, which literally exposed me to core hardship.

“While on that journey of life, I understood what suffering in abject poverty meant, how painful it is to persons, hence my decision to touch lives as much as God will enable me.

“I have travelled to so many countries seeking greener pastures but they all ended up deporting me back to Nigeria, so I said to myself, I must start somewhere. So, I went from becoming an Okada rider to selling Mama-put; but I thank God today that He has blessed me.”

The widows were not just given the micro credit, but were also lectured on how to utilise it.

Professor Alphonsus Okpalaejesi tutored them on how to be successful with any resources given to them.

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Like the founder of the foundation, Okpalaejesi has had his share of the ups and downs in life.

As a little boy determined to go to school, his mother died very early, leaving him with his poor father.

“I don’t want to bore you with my story of life but just to let you know that, with determination, you can succeed just like me,” Okpalaejesi said.

According to him, “At the age of 11 years and four months, I passed my exams to continue my education but my father told me that he had no money, so he took me to one of my uncles in Onitsha, who asked me to work in a factory.

“It was at the factory that I lost my right hand using one of the machines. At the hospital, I started learning how to use my left hand because I needed to continue my education.

“Eventually, when I made it through secondary school and got a scholarship to study my dream course of architecture in India, my lecturer looked at my one hand and said nobody has ever been in this department with one hand. So, I promised myself that I would score nine over 10 in his exams and I did score nine and half over 10.”

He also informed the beneficiaries that with leverage, determination and perseverance, they can multiply whatever they were given as loan.

One of last year’s beneficiaries, Mrs Lillian Ambrose who manufactures about 30 products including insecticides and perfumes, thanked the foundation for changing her life for the better through the loan.

“I thought that my life was miserable after losing my husband, with my children to cater for, but thank God for the loan. Today, I produce deodorants, insecticides, perfumes and many other types of disinfectants.

“Today, I am happy to tell you that, within a year, I have opened a barber’s salon for my son and a tailoring business for my daughter with the little proceeds from the business I am doing,” she narrated almost in tears.

Another beneficiary of the 2018 edition, a widow too, Mrs. Regina Onyemechilauzo, said she opened a restaurant with her loan and she has become independent.