International Widows Day: Foundation Calls For More Support For Widows

By Ijeoma Nwankpa, Abuja Nigeria.

The Senator Emeka Offor’s Foundation (SEOF), has called on all and sundry to honour, protect and empower Widows as the global community observes 2025 International Widows Day.

The Founder, Sir Emeka Offor, asked Nigerians to remember these special ones, touch their lives in meaningful ways and make their welfare the Central Focus of this year’s Celebration.

“Let’s join the United Nations and civil society organizations worldwide to amplify the voices of widows and address the systemic challenges they face.’’

According to him, this year’s commemoration comes at a time, when the recent data reveals that over two hundred and fifty eight million widows globally continue to endure levels of poverty, discrimination, and social exclusion.

In Nigeria, where cultural practices often compound these challenges, the plight of widows remains pathetic with many facing disinheritance, homelessness, and stigmatization following the loss of their spouses.

He recalled that his foundation has been at the forefront of transforming this narrative through its groundbreaking Touch-A-Life Housing Project conceived in 2020 by the Vice President of SEOF, Mrs. Adaora Offor.

He said the initiative was born from encounters with the devastating realities faced by these widows.

Consequently what began as a response to immediate shelter needs has evolved into a comprehensive empowerment programme that has delivered twenty one fully furnished homes to deserving widows.

To commemorate this year’s celebration, the foundation has concluded arrangements for the takeoff of Phase 4 of the Housing Project which started in 2020 with ten units ready for immediate construction.

He said these homes represent more than physical structures, they serve as foundations for renewed hope, dignity, and economic opportunity for the widows.
According to Sir. Emeka Offor, “his Foundation’s intervention aligns with timeless principles of human dignity and scriptural wisdom as articulated in 1 Timothy 5:3: ‘Give proper recognition to widows who are really in need.’ This profound guidance informs our careful selection process, ensuring support reaches those most vulnerable.

Our 2024 Impact Report confirms that one hundred percent of beneficiaries meet strict criteria of need, mirroring the biblical call to discernment and intentional care”
He also says,  “as we mark the 2025 International Widows Day, the modest impact we have made using our foundation’s Widows Cooperative Society as a point of contact has indeed motivated us to giving more even when we have less. Truly, you do not need to have so much in order to give because givers never lack.
“We are all encouraged to bless one widow today and every day. Put smiles on their faces and make them forget the pains of their bereavement”,
Offor remarked .