The
wife of the governor of Anambra State, Chief Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano
has boosted the education and upkeep of indigent members of the Holy
Childhood Association (HCA) of the Nnewi Diocese of Catholic Church with
financial support of N500, 000.00. Mrs. Obiano made the grant during
the Annual Feast at Our Lady of Holy Rosary Pilgrimage Centre, Okija on
January 31, 2015. HCA is an initiative of Nnewi Diocese which seeks the
moral upbringing of pupils in the Primary Schools.
Speaking
at the centre, Mrs. Obiano told the pupils that she honored their
invitation in spite of her busy schedule because anything that concerns
Holy Mother Mary and the children gladdens her heart hence she came to
identify with the noble objective of the HCA and the Pilgrimage centre.
According to Mrs. Obiano, “I am passionate about the training of
children because you are the leaders of tomorrow.
The setting up of this centre is in recognition of the importance of
prayers and a fitting tribute to our Mother Mary. I urge you to pray
regularly and get your parents to join you every morning before school
for the peace and progress of our state and the nation.”
The
wife of the governor told the children that the marvelous work the
Bishop and their Rector are doing in training them and caring for the
aged is similar to the work of her pet project, the Caring Family
Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ), a non-governmental, nonpartisan
organization with a vision to be the beacon of sustainable empowerment
for women, the less privileged and the aged in the society.
“Our
mandate at CAFÉ is to care for the less privileged and reduce
women-child vulnerability while maintaining the dignity of persons with
disabilities in Anambra state. CAFÉ also galvanizes resources for the
uplifting of orphans, children in need and the physically challenged.
CAFÉ attends to both skilled and non-skilled persons as well as indigent
rural women in all communities of Anambra state.”
The
wife of the governor disclosed that she has a programme which trains
midwives to manage child delivery in remote communities. The midwives,
she explained are equipped with motorcycle with in-built baby cot and
mobile phone for communication to manage the emergencies and later
transfer mother and child to the nearest health centers next day. To
further assist the centre, Mrs. Obiano announced the donation of a van
she procured for another programme to help them solve their immediate
need of transporting the aged, and urged the Rector to keep up the good
work.
In
his remarks, Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Hilary Okeke told
the wife of the governor that the Pilgrimage Centre which caters for the
spiritual retreat of the Diocese was conceived in 1986 to encourage the
spiritual growth and faith of Christians in the area. He explained that
the Centre is located on 600 plots of land purchased through the help
of donors and the faithful. The Bishop praised the efforts of Governor
Willie Obiano and urged the wife to convey the appreciation of the
Diocese, and also commended the Obiano family to the care and protection
of God as they work for the good of Anambra State.
Earlier,
Rector of the Centre, Rev. Fr. Innocent Ofiaeli told the governor’s
wife that they are happy to welcome her as “the First Lady of Anambra,
visiting the Centre dedicated to the First Lady of Heaven and Mother of
our Lord.” He thanked her for making the feast memorable and enjoyable
with the gift of packed food, drinks and beverages for the pupils.
In
a welcome address on behalf of the HCA members, Miss Eze Nchedo,
thanked the wife of the governor for making time from her busy
programmes to visit on their Feast day. “Your presence here today will
serve as a motivating factor to the children in our continuous prayer
for the good of our state and the nation at large.” She stated. In the
same vein, the Vicar General Nnewi Diocese, Rev. Fr. Patrick Ezeabata
also told Mrs. Obiano, “we expected your visit as a morale booster to
the children, but you have gone further to prove to us that you are
indeed mother of all.”