Medinat Kanabe reports on the activities of See Joy Foundation, an organisation committed to improving the lives and wellbeing of widows
At the last count, about 1000 widows have already benefitted from the See Joy Foundation programme, together with 167 pupils, who have passed through primary school education, 108 students, who have passed through secondary school, and three students who have successfully gone through university education, yet the organisation was not done. Recently, the organisation held its annual Widows’ Day event, where the over 1000 widows in attendance were presented with valuable gifts.
One of the widows, Margaret Onyemerekwe – a mother of six, told The Nation that she was happy to be there.
“I heard from a friend that this NGO will be giving widows some things today, so I decided to register to benefit,” she said.
She said she had to take it upon herself to cater for the family when her husband died in 2011.
“He was a trader before he died. When he was alive we were managing from his business which was the sale of roast yam, corn and stationeries. I only managed to send the children through secondary school. My eldest child is 22 years-old and wishes to study Banking and Finance but I need money to send him and the others to the university.
The 45 year-old disclosed that she refused to re-marry because she wants to concentrate on training her children, rather than having more.
Another widow, Felicia Ani, said after her husband’s death in 2006 she decided to go into the sale of African Salad, popularly called Abacha, to keep her and four children from starving.
Before her husband’s death, the 52 year-old said he was a tipper driver and had enough money to take care of the family, but he fell ill and spent all he had on his sickness before he died.
Lamenting, she said “My children are all at home because I cannot send them to school. When I sell my Abacha, I make a profit of N1, 500, and then I buy another one from the capital. I also pay house rent of N2,500 from the business. I go to Mushin every morning with 5, 000 to buy the things I use for the business. I want them to help me with money, so that I can start a good business.”
Founder of the NGO, Mr Prosper Kanayo explained that passion and God brought about the NGO. “God placed the passion in my heart to touch the lives of the poor in the society. He gave me the scripture in Job: 29 that I should cause the widows’ heart to sing for joy and be a father to the fatherless, husband to the widows and eyes to the blind.
He explained that See Joy Foundation is 11 years old and has affected a lot of people positively.
He seized the opportunity to reiterate that the foundation is not being used to enrich his pocket, adding that there is a curse on anyone who enriches his pocket through NGO.
“It takes a man who does not know God or have the fear of God to do that. I am from a very poor family, so I know what it feels like to be poor. If you have not tasted poverty, you cannot feel the way the poor feels. You can see them and be sorry but you cannot feel what they are feeling. I have been there and God permitted me to be there so that when he lifts me up, I will be able to run the NGO well.”
The businessman and father of four revealed that passion is what keeps the foundation going. He said it is a burden that God has placed on him. “I remember 15 years ago, I was walking on the road and I heard a voice. God told me that he will use me to touch lives. I promised