Empower 50 widows in Lagos

The 50 Widows Empowerment Program held in Ayobo was birthed from Clare Cares Foundation’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable women, particularly widows, by equipping them with skills that promote independence, dignity, and financial sustainability. The project aimed to train 50 widows in practical income-generating skills and provide support to help them begin their entrepreneurial journeys.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

• To train 50 widows in Ayobo on marketable skills.

• To offer psychosocial support and community for healing and growth.

• To enable participants to start earning stipends through their newly acquired skills.

• To create a sustainable pathway for financial independence.

IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

Over the course of several weeks, the women were engaged in skill acquisition programs that included:

• Bead-making and accessories

• Soap and disinfectant production

• Pastries and small chops

• Ankara crafts

• Business mindset and branding sessions

Workshops were facilitated by experienced trainers with support from our team and local community leaders. We ensured regular monitoring, mentoring, and feedback collection to track growth and interest.

ACHIEVEMENTS & OUTCOMES

• All 50 widows completed their training successfully.

• Over 70% of the participants have already begun earning stipends from the use of their skills.

• Peer support groups have formed, fostering encouragement and collaboration among the women.

• Participants expressed renewed hope, confidence, and a sense of purpose.

“For the first time since my husband passed, I feel like I have something to offer. I now make soap and people in my area are already placing orders.” — Mrs. Olayemi A., Participant

Links:

• Website

We finalized our project with the widows with the resources we had. It was a grear time and we also rounded off with food distribution to children and mothers. We are excited with the outcome and the positive feedback. We presented certificates to the participants who finished with us. We also used a community hall to run a medical outreach for the elderly women, we enagged doctors and nurses who helped with this. We ran BP check, sugar blood test, general consultation. The making of cake was an interesting session that was well done by our amazing volunteer who runs a bakery. They made sweet cake.

Links:

• Clare Cares website