In many Nigerian communities, housewives are wholly dependent on their husbands. Thus, it becomes a herculean task for such families to survive when they lose their breadwinner. However, a different narrative is being written in Ekiti State through a project that has brought succour to them, writes DAMOLA KOLA-DARE.
When the mangled remains of Mrs. Folakemi Odu’s husband were entombed, her hopes and the future of their children were also interred with their breadwinner, so it seemed.
In a cruel twist of fate, she suddenly assumed the role of breadwinner.
She is not alone. From Emure to Ise Orun, Ikere, Iyin, to Ilejemeje in Ekiti State, young women in their forties who lost their husbands in tragic circumstances are battling to eke out a living by all means.
Most times, becoming a widow in Nigeria pushes many women into grinding poverty – a situation usually aggravated by the widespread practice of property grabbing and sometimes, physical abuse.
Luckily for Ikere-based Mrs. Odu, after enduring some tough times, the sewing machine she received from the Widows, Aged and Orphans Hope (WAOH) foundation became a “blessing”.
While her productivity increased, she can do more jobs to help take care of the home and support her children in school.
“The machine I received from WAOH doesn’t require electricity. It has been a blessing. My productivity has increased, and I can now take on more jobs, which helps me keep my children in school,” she said.
Harbinger of solace
The WAOH project, an initiative of the Ekiti State First Lady, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, has given widows and the vulnerable another chance for decent living.
Launched in 2023, the idea is to provide comprehensive support, opportunities for widows and orphans to achieve self-reliance and improved socio-economic status, with a vision to uplift the most vulnerable populations in our society.
According to the Coordinator of the project, Mrs Kemi Dairo, there is a template/structure for sustainability and continuity despite not being a government-sponsored initiative.
“It’s not sponsored by the government. This project is self-sponsored. We have partners from whom we solicit funds,” she said.
She added that there is a monitoring team to assess how beneficiaries are doing, including orphans given scholarships.
“Even the widows that we empower, all the equipment given to them cannot be sold,” she said.
The project has seen widows receive empowerment tools like deep freezers, sewing machines, grinding machines, hair dryers, garri processing machines, based on their request in forms they had earlier filled. And as such, more than 5,000 widows have been impacted.
Tales of sorrow, joy and a lifeline
Just like Mrs Odu, Mrs. James Janet, who had hitherto endured tough times, can smile again.
Her husband died on his way from church when his motorcycle ran into a vehicle he had mistaken for another motorcycle because it had a single headlight.
It was a very painful experience because her first daughter was still very young, she was pregnant with the second, while learning tailoring and fashion design.
“After his death, my mother asked me to come and stay with her for a while so I wouldn’t be alone.
“While I was away, my husband’s family went to our house, ransacked it, and took everything – his belongings and even some of mine.
“They left me and the children with nothing. They never came back to check on us or support us.
“Life became so hard. Feeding was difficult, I couldn’t send my children to school, and sometimes we barely had clothes to wear. Many nights I cried and couldn’t sleep. It was a very painful and hopeless time,” she stated.
She then registered for the WAOH initiative after initial doubts because “many of such programmes had come before collecting our names and details, but nothing ever came out of it”.
However, upon persuasion from her mother to try it, things clicked, and she was invited to Ado-Ekiti, where she was given a sewing machine.
One sewing machine brings three more; six apprentices, a better life
The sewing machine, within a short time, brought a turnaround to Mrs. James’ life.
She said: “Honestly, that machine changed everything for me and my children. Before I received it, life was very hard.
“I had no shop, so I was trying to manage inside my house. But the truth is, even working from home was difficult because I didn’t have the proper tools to work with.
“The week I got the machine, something amazing happened. Jobs began to come in, one after the other. I realised at least N10,000 – N15,000 daily when I was working from home, but having a shop now has increased it, even though our kind of work is seasonal, I’m able to realise lots of money each day.
“It was as if God Himself opened a door of mercy for me. I started sewing clothes back-to-back, and for the first time in a long while, I could see hope.
“One of the biggest impacts was on my children. Before then, sending them to school was almost impossible. Many times, they stayed at home because I couldn’t afford school fees. Even feeding them three times a day was a serious challenge.
“Sometimes, they would sleep on empty stomachs, and the pain of watching them suffer broke me as a mother. My own mother would step in occasionally to support us, but it was never enough.
“My husband’s family completely abandoned us — they never came to ask if the children had eaten, or if they even had clothes to wear.
“Another major change was that I began to save money. At first, I thought it was impossible to save because we were barely surviving. But when the jobs kept coming, I joined a weekly contribution group.
“Each week, I dropped money, and little by little it accumulated. From those savings, I was able to raise enough to rent a proper shop.
“That was one of the happiest moments of my life — moving out of my small house into a shop where people could easily locate me. It made me feel like a real businesswoman.
“From the income I earned, I also bought materials in bulk — threads, fabrics, sewing accessories, even chairs for my customers.
“Slowly, my little corner grew into a proper tailoring shop. Later, I even bought two more machines.
“Today, I have three in total: one at home and two in the shop. That means I can work comfortably anywhere and also train others.
“In fact, today I have six apprentices under me. Six young people are learning this craft because of that single machine given to me.
“Imagine — one machine did not just feed my children; it created opportunities for others too.
“When I look at them working in the shop, learning and gaining skills that will sustain their future, my heart is full of gratitude.
“The impact also extended to our home. The money I realised from tailoring helped me pay for our house rent — N24,000 every year.
“Before then, paying rent was a nightmare. I feared every time the landlord knocked. But now, I can boldly pay without shame, knowing it came from the work of my hands.
“In short, this machine transformed me from a helpless widow who cried at night into a woman with dignity, strength, and hope.
“I was like a ‘zero mother’ before — unable to provide, always worried. Truly, God used that sewing machine to rewrite my story. I no longer struggle the way I used to. I live a better life now, I am training six apprentices, and I give all the glory to God.”
From pain to gain
Since her husband’s death, Mrs. Bankole Omowunmi Rebecca, a resident of Ise-Ekiti, had battled hard to make ends meet for six children. Her husband had gone hunting, fell from a tree and died on the way to the hospital.
To survive, she went through all sorts of hard labour — going to people’s farms for daily pay, washing clothes for neighbours, and sometimes pounding yams for families just to get a plate of food.
“Life has been very tough. Feeding six children alone was extremely difficult. My husband’s family did not support me in any way. The children’s feeding and education were already overwhelming.
“It was a tumultuous journey. Raising six children without any help, especially when resources were limited, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” she said.
She got valuable information about the WAOH project, applied and after the screening, got selected and was given a grinding machine, which proved a turning point for her.
“When I got the grinding machine, it was as if heaven opened. With the machine, I started grinding pepper, maize, beans, and cassava.
“On a typical day, I earn roughly N4,000 to N5,000. That may seem small to some, but for me, it made a huge difference.
“With that daily earning, I could buy food for my family, pay rent, and slowly begin to repair parts of our house that were damaged.
“Gradually, I joined a thrift contribution group where I saved weekly, and from my savings, I was able to buy small household items we could not afford before.
“Most importantly, the grinding machine restored my dignity. It is more than just equipment — it is life, it is food, it is school fees, it is dignity, and it is hope,” she said.
Wanted: more intervention
The widows want more intervention/empowerment to generate more income.
Mrs. Odu would be able to expand her services and earn more income if she got a “stoning machine”, sewing materials, and special fabrics for making ladies’ caps.
If she could get an industrial machine, Mrs. Janet’s work would be faster, neater, and more professional. She will be able to take on bigger jobs and even train more apprentices.
Mrs. Bankole wants other women in her local government to benefit from the WAOH project just as she has done. According to her, many widows are still suffering, and she desires the same opportunity for them.
The many sides of an empowerment scheme
The empowerment of the widows and orphans has translated to stability of income, financial independence and restoration of dignity.
The tools obtained by the widows have been utilised properly, such that some of them are in the process of empowering other people as evident in the training of apprentices.
Once the apprentices graduate, they can work on their own and be financially independent.
The WAOH Project, though intended for widows and the vulnerable, has indirectly contributed to the empowerment of other persons.
For most of the widows, they were able to stay afloat using the tools to generate income and a sustainable livelihood in their various communities where the standard of living is not high.
In essence, what they made daily could sustain their feeding and they could still save a little of their earnings.
Orphans not left out
Bello Daniel, a 200-Level student at Bamidele Olumilua University of Technology, Ikere (BOUESTI), lost his dad at a very young age, while his mum died of epilepsy. He had lost hope for higher studies, but WAOH rescued him.
However, upon graduation, he wants to own a fashion shop to earn a living, give back, support young people, and create opportunities for them to thrive—just as WAOH did for him.
“That is my biggest aspiration,” he said.
• This story, facilitated by The Nation Journalism Foundation, is made possible with support from Nigeria Health Watch as part of the Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative.
