By Iduozee Paul, Benin correspondent
To enable them caterfor their households and families, an NGO known, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundationhas empowered 20 Muslim widows with the total sum of N300,000for injection intotheir businesses.
Explaining why themoney was given to Muslims widows, the administrative officer of Zakat andSadaqat Foundation, Edo State, Jatto Abdurasheed, said a lot of Muslim widowsare passing through various suffering in the society, citing the new reportreleased by the United Nations (UN) that258 million widows in the country are suffering.
“The criteria weused to select people we gave money is the issuance of forms to all in the senatorialdistricts. After giving them the forms, we screened them to know if they are intrade, farming or other businesses. We then invited them to the programme andlectured them before we gave them the money. We gave N300,000 to support whatthey do. Some of them are elderly women, hardworking young widows and youths.”
Explaining further, headded, “The late Prophet Mohammed told us that the man who looksafter a widow or the poor people is a Mu’jahad, who fights or strugglesfor the cause of Prophet Allah,like he who performed Sa’lat, which means;somebody who prays all through the night and observed fasting all the days.This comment states the vitality of caring for the widows, orphans and thepoor.”
The administrative officersaid the foundation’s objective is to see to the reduction of stress faced yMuslim widows.
“Going by thefact that, a lot of them are suffering various challenges in the country, the.Foundation is set up to see how Muslim widows’ plight can be reduced.”
Abdurasheed alsoadmonished the widows to pay Zakat, pointing out that the NGO is saddled withthe responsibility of collecting Zakat and appealed to them to spread themessage to others within their environment. He advised them not to divert themoney given to them to other unnecessary ventures.
During thepresentation of the money to some of the Muslim widows, a volunteer worker inthe foundation, Shuayb Abdul Qadr also cautioned the recipients not misuse themoney, but to invest it on what it is being given out for.
Responding on behalfof the Muslim widows, Hajia Maryam Audu, thanked the foundation for giving themthe money and promised they will make good use of the fund to boost theirtrade. She prayed that Allah will bless and reward the donors.
