The wife of Anambra State Governor, Chief Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano has handed over keys to two well-furnished bungalows to two widows in Anambra State.
The houses were built through the instrumentality of the Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFEI) program of the governor’s wife.
Among the beneficiaries was Mrs Eucharia Nwakibie, a widow from Isieke village, Akwa- Ozubulu on Ekwusigo LGA of the state.
The widow had in 2012, lost her husband and was forced to live in her father’s house afterwards due to accommodation difficulties, with her seven children, two of whom had died during the trying time.
The other beneficiary, Victoria Udenka from Amaeze village, Aguleri, Anambra East LGA, is a septuagenarian mother of six, with only one surviving male child, lost her husband in the eighties and is currently consigned to a wheelchair due to ill health.
The two bungalows were built with borehole facilities and standby power generating set to power the buildings.
The latest houses bring the tally to twenty- eight, the number of houses built and handed over freely to widows and the less privileged by the governor’s wife since the inception of her CAFEI NGO as a charity organization in August, 2014.
Handing over the keys to the houses, Mrs Obiano said the houses will be equipped with basic living provisions to enable the beneficiaries to adjust to life.
She explained that the initiative was part of efforts at supporting her husband to provide succour to the downtrodden.
“What we have been able to achieve with CAFEI in the area of assisting widows and the less privileged, is tremendous. Before we came into governance, we have been neck-deep into humanitarian activities and having found ourselves in the saddle of affairs in Anambra, it was an opportunity to intensify our efforts at ensuring that the very poor amongst us gets succour,” she said.
The Anambra First lady revealed that more houses were being built and when completed, will be handed over to other beneficiaries.
“We want to continue to give hope to our people and I want to urge other hi-net worth citizens of the state to take a cue and do their best to better the lives of people around them,” Mrs Obiano said.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Children and Women’s Affairs, Lady Ndidi Mezue who noted that beneficiaries under the initiative are sparsed across the three senatorial zones of the state, described the efforts of the governor’s wife as highly commendable.
“I want to commend the vision of the governor’s wife to start this initiative through which widows across the state have received immense support. This is pure benevolence and I know the governor’s wife through this gesture has ignited the fire of philanthropy and many Ndi Anambra have followed suit,” the Commissioner said.
The beneficiaries, Mrs Nwakibie and Mrs Udenka in their separate remarks, expressed appreciation to the governor’s wife for remembering them when it appeared all hope was lost.
They prayed God to grant her immense blessings and replenish the resources expended in undertaking the projects.