From Cyriacus Nnaji, Lagos
Women group, Oganiru Umuada Anambra State (OUAS) Lagos Branch, a philanthropic group conceptualized to help members and the poor in the society, has distributed various food items to poor women in Lagos State to cushion the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The humanitarian Project of Feeding 100 Mothers took place at Uke Community Centre, Divine Estate, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos on Sunday.
Ezinne Ifeyinwa Amuzie, an international business woman, Enugu-Ukwu Anambra State by birth, married in Avutu-Obowo Imo State and one of the founding members of the group stated that OUAS is a group of women that wants to gather first for progress and happiness of their members, “We gather to help our members, and other people who are in need just like what we did today. Basically the group was formed to help members both in joy and in sorrow,” Amuzie said.
She also stated that admission into the group is not an all comers affair. “Intending members pass through very stringent scrutiny, we admit women of honesty and integrity; they are those that form our membership. We don’t want people that would come in and scatter our goals and objectives; we take women of substance and God fearing, women that have the heart of giving, women of philanthropy. And if we notice anything to the contrary, we remove the person from the group.”
Amuzie disclosed that the group was barely two weeks old adding that OUAS has about 60 members currently. “The organization is barely two weeks and this is our first outing in terms of giving to the less privileged.”
She said their spheres of operation go beyond Lagos, “We are Umuada Anambra State, we will also reach out to Anambra to be able to help those in need, to help our state. It is not only for Lagos, we can still carry it down to Anambra. We want to reach out to the poor, especially those that are helpless.”
Speaking on those who received palliatives Amuzie said “Those given palliatives today include mostly widows, not widows like me, no, I am Jesus’ wife, I am talking about widows that don’t have, and even the poor ones who have husbands but they are finding it difficult to eat, those are the people we helped today.”
Items shared to the women include rice, noodles, pastas and many others.
Another Founding member of OUAS, and currently, the Secretary of the group, Mrs Uchenna Ifeoma Umeche, Ada Awka is married in Amichi – Nnewi, a Chartered Accountant and a licensed Auditor by Profession, speaking on the main objective of the group said “OUAS is designed to impact on the lives of the less privilege, especially the widows, poor women whose husbands have either abandoned them or those whose husbands do not have gainful employment. It is also meant to assist and augment what Anambra State is doing in that direction.”
She disclosed that the group has intention of partnering with groups and organizations to make more impact on society. ”We partner with individuals for sponsorship, of course, we just started, we intent to partner with organizations as time goes on. Things may be slow now because of Covid-19 ravaging the entire world, but the vision of this group is to eventually partner with corporate organizations to be able to reach out for more people because with individual sponsorships, our capabilities will be limited,” Umeche said.
Umeche said she would like the group to become a household name, “In the next five years we are looking at Rotary Club of Nigeria that has become a brand, a household name in the country, so we look forward to becoming a brand, through our philanthropic and humanitarian activities.”
She advised members to be true to themselves, she called for spirit of God and oneness so as to sustain the current tempo in the group. She pleaded that there should be transparency especially as they expect aids and grants from different quarters so that such funds should be ploughed into what they are meant for.
The team leader is Mrs Nkoli Nwosu and secretary is Mrs Uchenna Umeche.
One of those that received the palliatives Mrs Ebere Okigbo, a widow; her husband died three years ago, with little or nothing in her petty trading, it is difficult raising three children. She thanked the group for the kind gesture saying “I am very grateful that this group remembered us. Somebody just called me by 10 am this morning and said something like this is happening, God will bless them mightily.”
