The Member of Parliament for Walewale in the North East region, who doubles the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, has distributed hampers to over six hundred widows in her constituency.
Each hamper contained 5kg bag of rice, tomato paste, cooking oil, salt, maggi and a cloth for each of the beneficiary women. In addition, each woman also went home with an amount GHS50 to enable their upkeep for some time.
The Deputy Minister said the initiative was successful due to the benevolence of the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare, some of her colleague MPs and other individuals who supported the initiative.
The lawmaker believes the donation will enable the women celebrate the New Year harmoniously with their families just as other privileged people in the society.
She disclosed the initial plan was a target of five hundred widows but due to the overwhelming numbers, necessitated the need for more one hundred people to be added to the figure. She however pledged to increase the number to over one thousand people next year.
She narrated to THE CUSTODIAN Online that the ordeal of these less privileged women prior to her election as MP for the constituency informed her decision to initiate the exercise christened: “Widows Summit” in order to put smiles on their faces.
According to her, the testimonies given by the widows require something urgent to be done to alleviate their impoverishment and uplift their socioeconomic status.
Hajia Lariba Zuweira bemoaned most of these women as a result of the economic difficulties and witchcraft accusations in the north end up seeking greener pastures in the south just for survival and thereby finding themselves in indecent conditions.
The intervention made by the Walewale legislator conform to the UN sustainable development goals two and three which talks about zero hunger and good health and wellbeing respectively by 2030. The SDG eight also promotes decent work and economic growth in all UN member states by the stipulated period.
The West Mamprusi Municipal Chief Executive, Issahaku Aremeyaw Somo, for his part commended the MP for introducing what he described as a novelty. According to him, no MP in the history of the constituency has been able to organised women especially widows to celebrate with them.
He noted the gesture of the MP has come at the right time since the Christmas season is a time for all to share with others.
“…She (MP) has initiated a lot of things with the assembly. As we speak for the first time in the history of Walewale, we are going to have a dual carriage road. The contractor was with me in my office; we have discussed and latest by April next year, the contractor will be on site and they will reconstruct the Walewale to Savelugu road” the MCE added.
Some of the widows in an interview thanked the Member of Parliament for putting smiles in them and their families. Ndaana Ester, one of the beneficiaries said, “We have never seen what Hajia has done for us – the gift that she gave us, we have seen that and we’re so happy because no MP has given us gift before”.
Another beneficiary, Anatu from Kasenkpe, said the hardship on her is so unbearable asserting two heads are always better than one. She cried out that losing her husband has brought so much difficulties and pain to her and her family, adding there is no one helping them in this difficult moments.
She believes God has spoken to the MP to touch their lives and by extension donate the items to them. She couldn’t hide her excitement and therefore prayed for the MP.
