Ayo Alonge

As part of its empowerment mandate, a non-governmental organisation, Tosin Quota International Foundation (TQIF), has doled out startup funds to selected widows to aid the start of their preferred small businesses.

At an event themed “Santa for Widows”, held recently, four widows were given N50,000 each as startup capital. Over 60 widows that thronged the event were first fed, before TQIF gave them mini bags of rice, beds, shopping vouchers, clothes, shoes and other valuables. The four beneficiaries who got the N50,000 startup funds are Florence Udeh, Serifat Adeyemi, Toyin Ajuwape and Gbadamosi Olubunmi.

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According to the CEO of the foundation, Tosin Olayiwola, “TQIF chose to empower the widows because its sole mission is to eradicate poverty among Nigerian widows. Growing up in a town where widows are neglected and maltreated and also hearing my grandma, a widow with many kids, tell her stories of how she struggled to care for her kids, I made up my mind to never let any widow pass through hardship in life and if empowering them is going to be the first step to take in order to do that, then so be it. Hence, TQIF was born.

“Over the course of four years which have seen to the empowerment of almost 200 widows, the joy of putting smiles on people’s faces fuels her motivation to never stop empowering widows. She believes that when women empower women, incredible things happen which is why when the widows are empowered, she makes sure they are being checked on and the progressive success is also one of the many things that keeps her going.”

Speaking to Daily Sun, one of the beneficiaries, Florence Udeh, thanked the foundation for the gesture, while promising to invest the fund in a profitable startup.