as well as cash to about 1000 indigent women and students from Amaokwa Item in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.
The philanthropist also gave out bursary awards to some SSCE and JSSCE students who are from Item. Dr. Orji, who is the wife of the late Dr. Herbert Orji, an erstwhile Managing Director of the defunct Progress Bank PLC, also gave clothes, food items, and cash gifts to hundreds of indigent women to enable them to cushion the effect of the hard times at the weekend.
In addition, the philanthropist provided some educational materials and exam fees to many students in the area, assuring them of more support if they did well in their academic pursuits. Those of them whose parents were not able to pay for their registration in the 2023 West African Examination Council were provided with the amount.
It was praises galore as widows, indigent women, and students showered encomiums on Dr. and Mrs. Orji, whom they described as "God's send."
Said Lolo Chinyere Osondu, Mrs. Chinonyerem Ikenokwali, Mrs. Blessing Onwumere, Patience Ifeanyi, Igwe Victoria, Lechi Ebere, Ezinne Rose Okoronkwo, and Elder Onyebuchi Chinasa, the organizers of the event, "Dr. (Mrs.) Orji has over the years assisted women from the Item clan, particularly Amokwe Item women, in various ways,"
Speaking at the event, the Special Assistant to the Minister State Science, Technology, and Innovation, Barr Obinna Mba, commended Mrs. Orji for remembering the less privileged at a time like this "when basic necessities of life are hard to come by" and assured the people of Amaokwe Item of the readiness of the Minister to complement what the donor has so far done in Item.
Addressing the gathering, a onetime Special Assistant to the President and political stalwart in Abia State, Chief John Ekekwe Egu, described the philanthropist as the Mother Theresa of our time, even as he challenged her not to relent in her philanthropic endeavors.
The Chairman of Amaokwe Item Town Union, Mr. Ndukwe Igwe, lauded her for sustaining that spirit of philanthropy, saying that her high level of compassion and empathy is unparalleled in the community.
Igwe used the opportunity to urge other well-to-do indigenous members of the community to help the needy, especially now that the cost of living is high. "On our part, we’ll continue to appreciate Mrs. Orji and place her in our book of excellence."
The welfare program was organized under an umbrella organization known as the Item Women Empowerment Initiative (IWEI), which Dr. Orji founded.
A Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Mrs. Blessing Onwumere, who also spoke at the event, described the donor as a humane and compassionate mother who has continued to demonstrate that she is filled with the milk of human kindness.
In her comment, Dr. Mrs. Orji appealed to the women to be prayerful and live peacefully with one another, pointing out that the gesture was to contribute her little quota to ameliorate the sufferings of some of the women as they go through hard times while trying to provide for their daily needs and those of their families.
She pleaded with the students in the Exam Classes (SSCE and JSSCE) to avoid premarital sex that may result in an unwanted pregnancy, informing them that with proper education, the sky is their limit. The event was used to lecture students on the dangers of indecent dressing, self-reliance, unwanted pregnancy, and healthy living.
(Source: independent.ng)
