Outreach in KUBWA: Empowering Lives Through Compassionate Support
As with the outreaches in Kabusa and Lugbe, one major element that stood out in Kubwa, a slum nestled within the rich expanding suburbs of Abuja, is the prevalence of mothers and women among the empowered households. Many low-income families exist in Kubwa with the mothers playing a major role in the battle against the seemingly unending cycle of financial hardship, which is compounded by limited opportunities for growth and empowerment that could potentially improve quality of life.
In recognition of the hardships faced by these women to provide for their families and in our commitment to making an impact in underserved communities, we selected Kubwa as the next location for our end-of-year outreach. Kubwa is another developing suburban region like Lugbe and the third region to be visited by the Benzone Development Foundation. We focused on a slum within Kubwa to extend our support to over 25 households mostly comprising widows and women with limited income struggling to provide for their families.
The outreach encompassed the distribution of essential items, including 25 bags of rice,
10 cartons of Indomie and vegetable oil with various foodstuffs and seasonings, aiming to ease the hardships faced by these vulnerable members of the community. For these women and widows, the outreach to Kubwa was particularly significant and welcome–it was not just a reprieve from hardship but a small step towards stability.
Eight volunteers spearheaded the outreach to Kubwa, handing out not just bags of rice and Indomie but also hope and the courage to face another day yet again. For BDF, our outreach to these underprivileged communities was built on not just empowerment and societal development but also the principles of care, kindness and compassion–all of which were embodied by our volunteers. Some of these volunteers had participated in previous outreaches to other areas, and armed with loads of insights, were well-prepared to engage with the community, listen to their needs, and offer support in the form of essential food items and otherwise.
For these ones, they also got to witness firsthand the resilience of these women, hear their untold stories and wonder at their strength of unfathomable source that seemed to carry them through each day.
A highlight of the outreach at Kubwa was the carefully organised distribution that ensured the prioritisation of the families most in need. Our aim was not to make the recipients of these relief packages feel like a burden or an afterthought that we cater to so we can sleep better knowing that we have given alms or donated, it is to enable every recipient to feel valued and cared for–because they do matter.
Lasting change can only be achieved when people come together to support one another. This outreach in Kubwa was the third step in our end-of-year initiative to bring relief to vulnerable populations during a time of year that often highlights the disparities between those who have and those who go without. We hope that we get to do even more not just during the Christmas season but as much and as often as we get to (and with your partnership), to keep closing this gap.
JOIN US!
We want to empower more underserved communities in Nigeria. With your partnership, we can do this and more. While these stories may seem common or usual, we must never forget that these are real people who are economically disadvantaged, impoverished and often daily wondering where their next meal will come from.
Join us to make a difference. It is our aim to combine charity with empowerment so we begin to see real change. With your partnership, we can provide not just food items but education and skill acquisition in these communities.
