ISAAC OJO writes that the Women And Family Advancement Initiative (WAFAI) has concluded arrangements to do mass wedding for one hundred and fifteen couples.
The church wedding for the couples would hold at Ihiala in Ihiala local government area of Anambra State on 18th December and the Catholic bishop of Umuahia in Abia State would officiate during the mass wedding.
This fact was disclosed by the Founder and President of WAFAI, Lady UcheFransisca Obi PhD during an interaction with journalists in Nnewi.
Lady Obi pointed out that her philanthropic group is fully registered at Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Abuja, State Ministry of Women Affairs in Anambra State, Imo State and equally have chapters in all the thirty six states of the federation.
She noted that one hundred and thirty couples got wedded in the first edition of the group’s mass wedding which held at Ihiala in 2012 while the second edition was held at Ozubulu in Ekwusigo local government area of Anambra State in 2014.
Lady Uche Obi said that her group is fully responsible for the provision of wedding gowns, suits, individual wedding cakes for the couples and in many cases wedding rings for the intending couples who could not afford the wedding materials.
She stated that apart from getting the couples wedded, her group also empowers the couples by buying sowing, grinding machines and other empowerment items for the couples.
On what informed her decision to be assisting the couples who could not afford to finance their church wedding, Lady Uche Obi revealed that after she got married, she was appointed the Facilitator of the Deanery and that in her first visit, she realized that some women were having inferiority complex and could not participate fully in the program she had with the women because they have not done their church wedding.
“After I discovered that, I made up my mind to stand in the gap and assist them to get their church wedding done so that they can be free to worship their God without any sense of inferiority.
“The testimonies which emanated from the first edition of the mass wedding has been a tonic for us to continue, we have the other aspect of the mass church wedding which is having empowerment program for the wedded couples, we offer them platform to acquire skills and as well give them start up capital after their training. That is what we have been doing at Women and Family Advancement Initiative.” Lady Uche Obi said.
She stated that the mass wedding is primarily for the Catholic for now but hopes to extend her gesture to other denominations, she however noted that the group’s empowerment program is for all the indigents irrespective of their denomination.
Lady UcheFransisca Obi, an Estate Surveyor and a Motivational Speaker appealed to affluent public spirited individuals to partner with her to put smile on the faces of the less privileged persons.
She also expressed the willingness of WAFAI to partner with forward looking philanthropic organisations.
The President of Sweet Home Africa, Rev Austin Epunam was in company of Lady Uche Obi during the press briefing.
