The art of giving and sharing of goodwill, captured in the Igbo saying that “nma nma n’ezu ora”- which literally means goodwill traverses the community – may have found good expression in the way the wife of the governor of Anambra State, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, carries out charitable courses.
When she was asked to choose a pet project through which she can support the work of her husband, Chief Willie Obiano, the governor of Anambra State, Osodieme, as she is fondly referred to in her traditional title, had no hesitation. She merely activated her passion for supporting and empowering women, especially widows, youths and the indigent members of the society.
In August 2014 she set up the Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ), a non-governmental, nonpartisan organisation as a beacon of hope and sustainable empowerment for women and the less privileged, thereby keeping her promise to be the voice of women beside her husband by providing succor to the needy as well as indigent widows and rural women across the177 communities of Anambra state.
It is worth mentioning that the art of giving had been second nature to Mrs. Obiano long before her husband became governor. In fact, her undiluted love for charity is a passion she shares with her husband, Willie. The couple is well known for their numerous philanthropic interventions, and they have been honoured for selfless services and commitment to charity wherever they sojourned.
It is therefore no surprise that Mrs. Obiano’s choice NGO CAFÉ, aligns with the Blessed Mother Theresa’s credo of “Give, but give until it hurts.” Simply put, since CAFÉ came on stream what was once a quiet way of life for Osodieme has captured the imagination of many in Anambra State and redefined public perception of the strategic role of state governors’ wives.
As the fulcrum of Mrs. Obiano’s many acts of charity in almost two years, CAFE makes strategic interventions in the lives of vulnerable members of the society like indigent widows, women, youth, children, as well as the mentally and the physically challenged. So far, Mrs. Obiano has set very high standards with CAFÉ projects in parts of Anambra State. Some of the projects undertaken so far include;
The flagship intervention, CAFÉ Housing for Indigent Widows borne out of the need to help the helpless by putting a roof over their heads. The project is ongoing in many communities across three Senatorial zones of Anambra State. Already completed houses were recently commissioned in Agulu, Nri, Alor, Umunya and many others are still under construction.
There is also the CAFÉ Market Toilets project with facility for both female and male and borehole water supply being executed in select rural markets in communities across the three Senatorial Districts of Anambra State to promote hygiene and preserve the dignity of the rural women. The toilets at Eke Igwe Nteje, Afor Mbaukwu have been completed and others are ongoing.
Chief (Mrs.) Obiano’s commitment to uplifting the fortunes of women at all levels is very well known across the state. She has devoted the CAFÉ platform to providing distressed women with immediate relief from hunger. A total of 600 indigent women have undergone skills acquisition training in tailoring and fashion design, Bakery and confectionary, Soap making, Hair dressing and Beauty Therapy, as well as community health services to promote safe health practices in remote communities. The graduands are empowered with equipment in their chosen field and given seed money to take-off and make a living.
Equally, CAFÉ has positively improved the mobility of over 700 physically challenged persons who were given free artificial limbs with the Sponsorship of free Prosthetic Limb fittings for the physically-challenged and other mobility aides like wheelchairs.
