It was a fine blend of tears and smiles at this year’s edition of Widow’s Mite event, an initiative by Olusola Olabode to throw a party for widows at Christmas, gift them with various food items to ensure that they enjoy Christmas even in the absence of their husbands. For the 5th edition, this year’s event was a clear upgrade as the initiative catered to 100 widows.
Speaking at the event, the convener, Olusola Olabode said ”For someone who was raised by a widow, I have a fair understanding of what these families go through. Watching my mother struggle to raise her family was tough and I made a promise to myself to make a difference anywhere and anyhow I can”.
The event had a number of volunteers who were on ground to ensure that the event was seamless. Some of them could as well relate to the initiative itself. ”I lost my dad when I was 10 which left my mom to raise 5 kids on her own. I know the struggle because I have witnessed it first hand and it gladdens my heart to see these widows happy today. The smile on their faces is priceless” said Debo, one of the volunteers.
One of the widows at the event could not stop her tears from flowing, she said ”I never knew someone in the world was even thinking about us widows. I was deeply touched when I got an invite last week and here today, we are partying, merrying and even taking gifts home. I am so happy and I hope this initiative continues”
”The goal of this year’s edition was to feed 100 widows with 1 million naira. “We raised funds by relying on personal funds, contributions from friends and people on social media just to make these women happy. The turnout, in terms of financial support, was massive and we hope to do this again next year to a wider audience” Olusola enthused.
Widow’s Mite is an initiative to bring widows together a few days before Christmas and treat them to a party where they can play, dance and share their stories. The initiative, every year, provides these widows with food items to ensure that they have something to eat and drink at Christmas. It was founded by Olusola Ajibola (now Olabode) in 2016.
