\nTo celebrate the 2017 International Widows\u2019 Day, wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode on Thursday empowered at least 103 widows across age category with financial assistance, equipment support and skills training programme, during an event organized by her foundation, Hope for Women in Nigeria Initiative, HOFOWEM, at Oregun, Ikeja.<\/p>\n
Empowerment materials distributed to the women included deep freezers, industrial gas cookers, photocopiers, grinding machines, embroidery machines, professional cameras, refrigerators, whipping machines and ovens, bag sewing machines, grinding machines, among others.<\/p>\n Speaking at the event, Mrs. Ambode noted that her foundation was established with the overriding objective of addressing major challenges confronting women and children, including poverty.<\/p>\n She said widows as some of the most vulnerable in society, needed support, hence the move by the foundation to empower them for self-reliance towards earning regular personal income.<\/p>\n According to her, \u201cWe had carefully studied the situation and discovered that this category of persons is the hardest hit by social circumstances around them. This is the reason our Foundation is focusing on them namely: the children, women, widows, the youth and the aged women\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSome days back, the world celebrated the 2017 edition of the Widow\u2019s Day and to commemorate this, HOFOWEM decided to raise the stakes, packaging this programme for 103 widows still in their active years. This is to help them have a means of income\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n Speaking further, she said the foundation decided to enlist the relatively younger widows for training in skills of their choice, to go with monthly allowance and would be supported with business equipment upon graduation, while the other two categories of women would get equipment support or financial assistance to expand their businesses.<\/p>\n \u2018This arrangement is designed to guarantee for you a stable means of income, to help meet your needs, those of your children, as well as your loved ones. It is hoped that this will bring more self-confidence for you, joy into your hearts and smiles to your faces\u2019, she remarked.<\/p>\n Mrs. Ambode counseled the widows not to confuse their path with their destination.<\/p>\n She said, \u201cTo the beneficiaries, I live you with these words of encouragement, do not confuse your path with your destination. Just because it is stormy now does not mean you aren\u2019t headed for sunshine. Always believe that something wonderful is about to happen to you. Never give up hope\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Founder,](\"https:\/\/akinwunmiambode.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/PIX-7520.jpg\")
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