Archbishop Ladigbolu’s NGO empowers 4,000 orphans, widows in Oyo

For widows, young and old, throughout Africa, discrimination
is the norm.
Human rights violations and harmful societal practices threaten their well-beings. They are prone to poverty, abuse and neglect with barely the means to care for themselves or their children.
Widows in Africa remain a disenfranchised group as evidenced by the lack of statistics reporting the needs of this population.
It is believed that there are about 4.2 million orphans in Africa with 12 sub-Saharan countries accounting for 70 per cent of
them.
Nigeria, along with Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to findings, has one of the largest orphan populations.
According to UNICEF estimates, Nigeria has over 9 million orphans,
with nearly 10 percent of them being orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
However, an Oyo-based Non-Governmental Organisation, NEWHOPE GLOBAL
ASSOCIATES has for the past 11 years in Oyo metropolis been
assisting women and children who comprise an ever-growing and
vulnerable population in the country.
Their numbers have reached epidemic proportions and the NGO is devoted
to fighting this global crisis.
It provides widows with skills they can use to support their
families, and provides orphans with educational resources vital to a successful future.
Founded in 2005 by a renowned clergy, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, the NGO begun its mission to aid and empower orphans and widows in response to the declining and often remote societal and governmental assistance given to single mothers, widows and orphans.
The NGO focuses on three core areas to address the needs of orphans and widows.
These include Education, Micro-grants and Health and over 4,000 orphans and widows have been catered for so far.
Recently, a two-day skills acquisition workshop was organised for 50 orphans.
They were trained in various vocations such as barbing, production of insecticide and liquid soaps, among others.
At the end of the training, each beneficiary received a sum of N5,000 to start the business.
Early in the year, a programme known as Feed-well Nutritional was provided for orphans and widows where over 2,000 bags of simple food items, such as Bournvita, rice, milk and noodles were distributed.
The colourful event took place at the State Hospital where patients
were the beneficiaries, as well as the Baptist Theological Seminary,
both in Oyo town.
Speaking in an interview, two of the benefitting orphans and
widows, Mrs Helen Olaojo, and Brother Hassan Alani, who broke into tears, were full of praises to the NGO for what they referred to as “its constant passions for not only the less priviledged ones but the vulnerable.”
Commenting, the founder of the NGO, retired Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu said besides reduction in poverty and building social capital, the NGO has committed to aiding individuals in developing vocational skills.
“Women are empowered to use their skills to develop small
businesses to support themselves and their children. We also create an environment for widows to cultivate and hone their business skills and foster entrepreneurial endeavors through direct financial support or loans.
“Since I retired from theological ministry about 11 years ago, my focus and concern had been how to build today for a brighter tomorrow. Our goal to bring positive change to the lives of orphans and widows in Africa remains at the forefront of our effort”
This, he said well-meaning individuals should do in order to assist the down-trodden and eliminate poverty, impoverishments and social discontent in the country.