Foundation Offers Children, Widows Free Medical Treatment   

By Martins Ifijeh

As part of efforts to address poverty and poor healthcare in Nigeria, the Chinwe Bode-Akinwande (CBA) Foundation has provided free medical treatment as well as skill acquisition training to underprivileged children and widows of Iberekodo community in Lagos State.

Speaking during the exercise, founder of CBA Foundation, Mrs. Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, said widows in the country need to be empowered so that they can take care of themselves and their children. She said, “Our aim is to teach widows how to fish, and that is why we kicked off with the skill acquisition training. We have trained them on how to make liquid soap, design clothes, make small chops, and many other things.

“Beyond skill acquisition, money, and food items given to the widows, we also ensured that nurses and doctors were available to treat any who were sick.

“It may be a big deal for them to go to the hospital for treatments, hence the reason we decided to bring with us medical doctors and nurses who have helped in diagnosing those with ailments with accompanying medications.

“Those with referral cases were sent to the nearest government health facilities for proper treatment.”

On the agenda of the foundation, Bode-Akinwande said the organisation went round Nigeria to help the underprivileged widow in the society, adding, “Today, we are at Iberekodo community. We do collaboration and partnership with organisations and we are still reaching out to government and individuals to assist us, so that we can reach out to a larger number of widows and underprivileged in the society.”

She commended the Lagos State government for its support, saying, “Few weeks ago, Lagos State wrote us to send five widows from our profile. They had a seminar where they talked to the widows, gave them money, food items and lots of goodies, which to me is quite applaudable and I am very expectant that many more opportunities would come for this underprivileged widows. We are also hoping that organizations would come in to assist us also.”

One of the widows, Mrs Cecilia Adenuga, 66, said since her husband died 2007, leaving her with 10 children to cater for alone, she had been moving from one relative to another, begging for food. “Now that I have been trained and given money to start up my own business on soap making, I know my hardships are over,” she said.