Ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Senu-Oke Development Foundation, on Tuesday donated food items and cash gifts to 50 widows in Apa Community, Badagry, Lagos.
Dr Oluseyi Senu-Oke, Founder of the foundation, who distributed the gifts, said that the gesture would enable the widows partake in the Yuletide celebrations.
He said the donation would also help to cushion the economic challenges the widows are faced with.
Senu-Oke, represented by his brother, Mr Olanrewaju Oke, urged the widows to use the cash and the food items to celebrate the festive period.
“Widows are vulnerable, especially at a time like this, that the country’s economy is hitting hard.
“So, we need to support them to enable them to play their roles in the society.
“For the past 27 years that I started this foundation, part of my objective is to assist the needy especially widows, who are all alone in trying periods.
“Christmas and New Year periods are seasons of celebrations and I feel like extending my hands to widows in Apa and its environs so that they can celebrate with their children,” he said.
The items include rice, spaghetti, food seasoning, tomatoes sachet, groundnut oil and semovita.
Also, each of the 50 widows were given a cash gift of N10,000.
Senu-Oke urged the beneficiaries to use the items and cash to celebrate with their families.
Mr Samuel Awato, Secretary to the Alapa of Apa Kingdom, Oba Adekanmi Oyekan, commended the foundation for assisting the widows to celebrate during the yuletide.
Awato said that the token would go a long way to helping the widows.
Mrs Celina Ajayi, a 65-year-old widow, said that the foundation had brought food to her table with the donations.
Ajayi thanked Senu-Oke for the gesture, urging other philanthropists in Badagry to emulate the foundation and remember widows.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Hannah Possi, said that widows in Apa would always be grateful to the foundation for coming to their rescue yearly.
