By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

In order to spread hope and joy among the less privileged members of the society especially during the yuletide season, the Helpline Social Support Initiative doled out assorted food items, clothes and other relief materials to widows and vulnerable women in Abuja.

Some of the items distributed include: rice, salt, vegetable oil, wrappers and other condiments, to enable them have a memorable yuletide celebration.

Also, the beneficiaries in their hundreds at the Helpline Initiative’s End of Year Outreach powered by its donors recently were empowered with entrepreneurial talk on improving their businesses and training in hat making (turban), to help them become economically empowered members of their respective communities.

Speaking on the sideline of the event, the president of Helpline Social Support Initiative, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, noted that the outreach programme was filled with love as the Organisation in collaboration with its donor partners were able to touch lives and provide hope for the beneficiaries drawn from across the FCT and beyond to enjoy the season.

Ahmadu, who thanked partners, volunteers, family, and friends for standing by the Helpline Initiative in the past 21 years, said that unwavering support has been instrumental in its mission, making it possible for it to impact positively on the society.

She adds: “Every act of kindness counts, and together, we’re creating lasting change in our community.

“At Helpline, we identified the need to impact positively on people, and we always ensure that our partners are carried along in everything that we do.

“We bring them to help us teach the women entrepreneurial skills, which is what has resulted in all the products you have seen here.

“We are training and encouraging them to ensure that they are able to have their products to become what they can export, as the platform is already there to enable people earn foreign currencies, so as to contribute to our national growth.

“It doesn’t matter where they are right now; they have the capacity to do so, as all they need is the support.”

According to her, for the widows, apart from such outreach, the Initiative develops their skills, because it doesn’t believe in just giving them fish, but teaching them how to fish, and that way they will be able to have  a source of livelihood.

“We bring them out periodically for experts to talk to them on their mental health, because they are going through a lot.

“They need people that would be able to talk to them as often as possible to make them believe that they can make it.

“We need to encourage them to look after their children well, and you can only do that by giving them skills that will make them become empowered, self-sustained and at the same time help the other widows that are vulnerable within their respective communities. And we have been doing that so far.

“We have the non-profit revolving loan scheme. They become the monitors of those among them that have taken this loan, and by the end of the month, when they come together; you bring what was supposed to be your profit in form of contribution for the next woman to take.

“And from a cluster of 20 women in Bwari, we have up to 200 of them since they started the loan scheme. This is one of our selling points, and our strong project that has made these women as happy as they are today”, she stressed.

Responding, Cluster leader, Women of Progress, Bwari, Ubah Terdoo, who described the Helpline outreach programme and loan scheme as an economic game changer, said it has boosted their petty businesses, thereby reducing their financial burden in the society.

“We were just 8 women when we started the initiative with Helpline in 2018, but now we are more than 200 women.

“From proceeds of entrepreneurial ventures, we are able to pay school fees, accommodation and feed our families as well as boost our businesses.

“So, it is not every time we will be looking or begging for money to fend for ourselves or their families. This has helped so much to reduce financial tension for us”, she stated.