By  Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo 

A Lagos-based Islamic group, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation in continuation of its generous schemes tagged “Memorable Ramadan” has distributed food items and cash to widows, orphans and the needy in Zaria, Kaduna State. 

Flagging off the distribution at Islamic Trust of Nigeria (ITN) Mosque Zaria, the Deputy Director of the foundation, Prince Suleiman Olagunju said the scheme was aimed at assisting the widow, orphan and the needy with support of what to eat and drink in preparation for the Ramadan. 

He said the situation of some widows and their orphans was sympathetic because of the abject poverty they were living in occasioned by the death of their breadwinner and there was nobody to cater for them any more, as such they lost hope of living.

“We thank Allah for making it possible for us to use this time, we equally appreciate everybody present here in this occasion.

This is an important one for Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation because it is an attempt to make widows and their orphans feel happy at this point in time when everybody is preparing for Ramadan.

“We equally consider it necessary to assist them to prepare something for the holy month. This program is aimed at providing little support to widows who don’t have what to eat and drink at the commencement of Ramadan,.This has been  our duty for more than 10 years, from the Zakkat and Sadaqat Foundation.”

“Ours  is for members of the foundation to come up with their token to support widows and orphans, we reach out to widows based on the availability of funds from members as a charity organisation, last time we reached out to 2,000 Widows and their orphans across the country where each family benefited from food item worth 25,000 and 5,000 cash making it a total sum of  N30,000.

“This year we projected  our budget to run almost 100 million Naira as we prepare  to reach out  to 3,000 as against 2,000 last year.,” Prince Olagunju said 

The Deputy Director further explained that it was not the prayer of the foundation for women to become widows but it was what they don’t have control over, rather what they could was to alleviate the suffering the widows and the orphans would be passing through.

Twelve families benefited from the scheme where each of them took home food items worth 25,000 and 5,000 cash.