April 1, 2024

NUF HOSTS IMPACTFUL COMMUNITY OUTREACH FOR WIDOWS IN DAWAKI, ABUJA DAWAKI, ABUJA

Dawaki, Abuja — April 1, 2024
The Nikki Udezue Foundation (NUF), in collaboration with #BECAUSEICAN Initiative, carried out a heartfelt outreach in Dawaki Community, FCT-Abuja, aimed at supporting widows through financial relief, gift distribution, and emotional upliftment.

The event, held at the Dawaki Community Centre, commemorated Mrs. Olabisi’s birthday and doubled as a platform to extend compassion and practical assistance to marginalized women, especially widows facing hardship in silence.

Addressing a National Challenge

With over 8 million widows in Nigeria, many of whom live in poverty and social exclusion, the outreach served as a timely intervention. In many communities, widows are subjected to stigma, abandonment, and economic neglect. Most survive on low-income, informal businesses that earn less than $1 a day.

NUF, through its “Widows Smile” initiative, has been a steady beacon of hope for hundreds of women across Abuja and beyond. This outreach added another significant layer to that effort.

Event Highlights

The program began with a warm welcome by the NUF team, setting a positive and inclusive tone for the day. The widows in attendance joined in heartfelt birthday songs, sung in both English and local dialects, for the celebrant donor, creating a powerful atmosphere of gratitude and solidarity.

The highlight of the event was the distribution of monetary and material gifts.
A total of 55 widows each received:

• ₦2,000 in cash

• 6 yards of fabric

These items provided both financial relief and practical support for daily living. The women, visibly moved by the gesture, offered prayers and words of appreciation.

Real Stories, Real Struggles

During the outreach, some of the widows shared their painful journeys, stories of loss, abandonment, and perseverance.

Mrs. Franka Akuba, a mother of five, recounted how her husband was abandoned by family members during illness and how she and her children were evicted after his burial.

“Life has been miserable as a widow. I thank NUF and Mrs. Olabisi for remembering us in these challenging times.”

Mrs. Aderibigbe Rabiat, widow of a Customs officer, shared how lack of institutional support left her solely responsible for her four children.

“The worst experience in life is to be a widow. I thank Mrs. Olabisi for her kind gesture. May God grant her long life.”

Mrs. Halima Abdulahi, who lost her husband during the Plateau crisis, now supports seven children with help from her eldest daughter.

“We are really suffering, but I thank God for life, hope, and people  like the NUF ”

Compassion in Action

The Dawaki community outreach was a resounding success, one that reaffirmed the power of empathy, giving, and grassroots intervention. The generosity of the #BECAUSEICAN initiative, supported by the committed efforts of the NUF team, brought comfort to women who have long been sidelined by society.

As NUF continues its mission to “Touch Lives Differently,” events like this underscore the foundation’s unwavering dedication to creating a fairer, more inclusive society, one community at a time.