Fighting Poverty

                                          Mrs. Orji
                                         

With pervasive poverty, a novel idea to help the indigent of society work together through savings groups and a support programme is helping to get lives back on track in Abia State, writes Charles Ajunwa

“What we are doing in Abia is to make sure that people prosper. That is why I keep moving around the state mobilising people to engage in income generating activities in order to promote their standards of living,” said Mrs. Mercy Orji the First Lady of Abia State. “Since I realised this innate gift from my creator, I have never stopped giving especially to the less-privileged in the society. This is what God wants me to do, and I will continue to do it for the rest of my life.”
Like elsewhere, families still struggle to buy school supplies for their children in Abia State, but the wife of the governor, Mrs. Orji is taking to heart the challenge faced by the poor.

On a recent Saturday, Hannah-May Foundation, a charity managed by Orji distributed various empowerment items to the indigents and unemployed in the state.
A total of 850 beneficiaries drawn from the 17 local government areas of the state got various items of empowerment from the organisation at a ceremony that took place in Umuahia Township Stadium.
The items include sewing machines, generating sets, barbing kits, hair dryers, grinding machines, desktop computers, weaving machines and vulcanising machines.
Mrs. Orji who personally supervised the distribution of the various empowerment items, urged the beneficiaries to utilise them to break away from poverty

An elated Mrs. Orji told the beneficiaries who were singing and dancing that the items, if properly managed would make them become self-reliant.
She had also in the recent past distributed wheel chairs, artificial limbs, foodstuffs and even built and furnished homes for some indigent men and women who have nobody to support them. The philanthropic work embarked upon by her NGO, according to Mrs. Orji is in line with the policy thrust of Governor Theodore Orji’s government.

According to her, the multiplier effects of such philanthropic gestures will help many indigent people in the society to become self-reliant in addition to creating employments for others.
The Abia First Lady who is never tired of assisting the less-privileged had earlier distributed gift items like bags of rice, salt, beans, treated mosquito nets, cartons of beverages, toiletries, cosmetics, detergent among others to 34 less-privileged homes in the state. The beneficiaries include, Uzuakoli Motherless Babies Home, Ahieke Ndume, Agape Orphanage, Nigeria Prisons, Umuahia, and School of the Blind in Afara Umuahia.

Apart from giving out free gifts to the less-privileged, Mrs. Orji facilitated the construction of a skill acquisition centre in the state capital to enable the youths and women to be trained in various trades.
And now that centre is a beehive of activities and a place of fulfillment for many who are getting their lives back on the track.
“I believe the modern skill acquisition centre located at the New Umuahia Layout, is a dream come through. During my husband’s electioneering campaigns across the state, I promised the women and youths that I will build a befitting skill acquisition centre and today, I am glad that the whole idea has been realised. That beautiful dream has turned into fruition. I give God Almighty the glory for enabling me to realise this project, which is my pet project for the state. Of course, this was made possible through the support of my darling and caring husband, Governor Theodore A. Orji,” she said.

She added: “Honestly, the whole thing was influenced by my personal experience in life. I want to use this opportunity to specially thank my husband for always being there for me. I was able to realise this today through his active support both morally and financially. We have about 10 trades offered at the skill acquisition centre namely--Information Technology, fashion designing and interior decoration, shoe making, electrical, catering and home management, electronic and radio repairs, plumbing, wielding as well as GSM repairs.”
Orji said that Abia youths would continue to enjoy the services of the centre, long after she leaves office because “we have capable hands that run the centre after I must have left office. For example, the permanent secretary in Women Affairs and Social Development, which is affiliated to my office, is a no-nonsense woman. When I leave office the next person that will come in will not allow the project to collapse because the whole programme is targeted at the youths, men and women. 

“I will like to be remembered for good when I go out from here because of the good work I have done in Abia State. I want to leave a legacy so that I will be remembered just like my husband who is leaving behind very good legacy in the state.”