The Agi, Mercy, Annah and Tamah (AMAT) Widows Foundation, has empowered over 400 widows since it was founded in 2015.
The director of the foundation, Sunday Agi Oibe, disclosed this in an interview after the 2023 empowerment outreach of the foundation which held on December 28, at Methodist Church Okikeme, Oju Local Government Area of Benue state.
Oibe said the beneficiaries were drawn from across various church denominations in several communities in the area.
According to him, “the programme was initiated as a result of a burden placed on me by God Himself.
“I had a privilege of traveling outside the country to attend a conference, and on my way home to settle my family for Christmas celebration in 2015, I had a burden by the prompting of the Holy spirit with this question: “Your are rushing home to settle your family for Christmas, who will settle the widows for their own Christmas preparation?
“It was a question that refused to go. When I finally arrived, I told my wife and she agreed with me. That’s how the journey started”.
He said in 2023, over 245 widows benefited programme, adding that, the beneficiaries got cash support for starting small businesses and counselling on the management of health challenges.
“Over the past five years, those who are strong physically, were assisted to access non interest loans to enable them go into farming and petty trading.
“At the end of the year, the beneficiaries are expected to pay the loan so that other
sets of widows will benefit”, Oibe said.
He said however, that the challenge before the foundation is the growing number of the widows, stressing that, “as an individual, funding has become a serious burden on me.”
He assured that he and his family who jointly founded the organisation, were determined to continue to support the widows.
He call for support from groups and public spirited individuals to put a smile on the faces of widows.
