In the spirit of the Yuletide season, the Hands of God Widows Support Initiative (HOGWIN) has put smiles on the faces of vulnerable and often neglected members of society.
As part of its programme for the year, the non-governmental organisation launched its foodbank project for widows.
The event held at The Redeeming Love Chapel, Satellite Town, Lagos, featured presentation of food items and other goodies to widows to help them have a quality Yuletide celebration with their families.
Phranklin Audu, executive director of HOGWIN, noted that the vision of the NGO is to become a beacon of hope for widows across Africa and, through its numerous programmes, highlight the plight of widows and advocate the recognition of their basic rights.
“Christmas is a time of giving and sharing, and so we felt there was no better way to express our thoughts towards these. The idea behind our Christmas foodbank programme is to ensure each widow beneficiary is able to enjoy a decent Christmas meal with their children,” he said.
Widows, who expressed gratitude to HOGWIN for looking out for them, especially in the face of harsh economic realities, also shared their experiences and encouraged one another to continue to hope on God for support while also developing themselves to become better people
They called on the government and other well-meaning members of society to do the emulate HOGWIN.
Monica Obaseki, recently widowed, shared the sad tale of her experience in the hands of her in-laws since the demise of her husband. She has struggled to raise her son in the university with her low-paying teaching job. She appealed to government to enforce the laws on the protection of the rights of widows, as she hopes society would be kinder to widows.
Another beneficiary, Mrs. Nelson, widowed for 11 years, applauded the NGO for consistently looking out for widows and hoped other organisations and kind-spirited Nigerians would do the same.
Registered in February 2022, HOGWIN has supported 90 indigent widows in Lagos and Jos through various interventions ranging from free eye care treatment, skill acquisition, and food banks.