International Widows Day:  Foundation celebrate, empower widows through cooking competition

 

The Healing Heart Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) , has empowered and celebrated the widows through her maiden edition of cooking competition for the widows.

Mrs Sophy Mbanisi, the President of the Foundation made this known at a programme organised by the Foundation in partnership with Ajinomoto Foods Nigeria Limited, to commemorate the 2023 International Widows Day (IWD) in Lagos.

Mbanisi said  the programme was aimed to encourage and inspire the widows to achieve more in life, to be able to cater for their families despite the demise of their husbands.

According to her, many of the widows are good cooks who can effectively manage/handle restaurant businesses if empowered.

Mbanisi explained  that the Foundation plans to make the Widows Cooking Competition an annual event that would run in phases from zonal level to state level and national level of the Foundation.

She said, “The objective is equip the widows to be gainfully engaged and be financially independent.

“Because this is the maiden edition, we are just doing it among the widows that indicated interest in cooking; about 15 of them were selected from the different zones of the Foundation and in the next edition, another set of widows will be selected to participate”.

The Foundation President explained that different prizes will be given to the widows at the end of the cooking competition.

According to her, Mrs Stella Ibie, Mrs Olowu Esther and Mrs Fumilayo Adebayo emerged the 1st prize, 2nd prize and 3rd prize winners respectively in the maiden edition of cooking competition for the widows.

“There is joy in winning. As some have emerged winners, it will inspire others  to participate. Beside cooking, there are series of other things/businesses that the widows can be doing to be fending for their families.

“Competition is spice of life; that your husband is dead does not mean the end of life for you; you can inspire, work hard and be great in life, earning good money.

“Erase the mentality that you can easily beg and be receiving from others. It hurts me when I see widows idle and seeking for where things are being shared,”she said.

Also speaking, Mrs Francisca Ikediashi, the Corporate Communications Manager of Ajinomoto Foods Nigeria Limited, said that the partnership was part of the company’s corperate social responsibility to the society.

Ikediashi said that the objective for the partnership was see how the widows could be empowered through the cooking competition.

She explained that the Ajinomoto seasoning products were used by the widows in the cooking competition to boost deliciousness of the foods.

According to her, most of the widows  are faced with different plights and challenges after the demise of their husbands, saying that Ajinomoto company is committed to alleviating the sufferings being faced by widows in the society.

“The goal for our partnership with the Healing Heart Foundation is to empower the widows with healthy cooking skills that will enable them sustain living despite the demise of their spouses.

“We have come to celebrate with the widows on their special day of International Widow’s Day.

“At the end of the cooking competition, prizes will be given the widows and most of them will be empowered to start one restaurant business or the other.

“The major goal is to strengthen the moral and self-esteem of the widows to realize that they can survive, earn income and be ble to fend for their families despite the death of their spouses, ” Ikediashi said.