By Stanley Onyekwere
In the spirit of Easter celebration, an Abuja based Non-Governmental organization, Sure Smiles Women and Children Advocacy Initiative celebrated the fiesta with orphans, as assorted food items were doled out to them and other vulnerable groups in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The NGO also used the occasion to visit the Asokoro and Nyanya General Hospitals, to show love and sympathy to the victims of last week’s Nyanya bomb blast that killed at least 75 people in the FCT.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after visiting St. Benedict Catholic Church located at Lokogoma estate, Abuja, the Founder and Coordinator of the Initiative, Mrs. Chioma Uzo-Udegbunam, said the visit was to “share the joy of the season and to bridge the gap between the have and have not.”
According to her, the Easter fiesta is a season to demonstrate love to all, especially the less privileged in the society; “that’s why the NGO decided to give to others out of the abundance God has blessed it with, as a practical show of love to these vulnerable group and to appreciate God for His kindness towards them.”
The founder stressed that her family background has been one of the motivating factors behind the initiative, noting that her parents taught her the value of giving. “As a child, my parents taught me the value of giving; I grew up in the midst of a large family and my parents always frown at you if you don’t share what you have with others, no matter how small it is”, she said.
She however called on government at all levels to initiate policies and programmes geared towards alleviating the suffering of the less privileged in the society.
Earlier in his response, the Parish Priest of St. Benedict Catholic Church, Rev Fr. Thomas Asen, commended the group for the gesture, noting that the responsibility of caring for the less privileged should not be left on the shoulder of government alone.
The Priest said, “The responsibility of taking care of the less privileged should be a collective responsibility. That is why as a church, we use every occasion to demonstrate love and to assist government in this daunting task of taking care of the vulnerable ones in the society. To us as a church, that is one way crime could be curtailed in the society.”
One of the beneficiaries of the gesture, Mrs. Veronica Udom, expressed satisfaction over what the group has done, as she called on other privileged members of the society to always assist the vulnerable.
Peoples Daily reports that at the hospitals visited by the NGO, to sympathize with victims of bomb blast in the nation’s capital, the coordinator of the Initiative used the occasion to dole out some assorted relieve items to them.
