The Executive Director and Founder of CESVHOC, Hajiya Farida Abdulrazak Tigana made this known during the distribution Exercise at the Emir of Gusau Palace.
She said the gesture is aimed to supporting orphans and widows who often struggle to meet the basic needs of their children.
Hajiya Farida Abdulrazak expressed concern that millions of children worldwide have become orphans as a result of war, famine, poverty, disease, natural disasters, and displacement.
Citing UNICEF statistics, she revealed that, there are about 153 million orphans globally, with 17 percent residing in Nigeria.
She further noted that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 2020 and April 2021, an estimated 1.13 million children lost their primary caregivers worldwide, while three million more became newly orphaned.
The CESVHOC founder also disclosed plans to visit selected hospitals in the Gusau metropolis to provide medical assistance to patients.
Hajiya Farida Abdulrazak added that the foundation is currently sponsoring the education of several vulnerable children in both Western and Islamiyya schools.
Over the years, thousands of vulnerable children and households have benefited from CESVHOC’s various empowerment programs, including farming and tailoring initiatives.
According to her, Children are the most valuable gifts from Almighty Allah—blessings and no amount of wealth can buy it, “In Islam, an orphan (Yateem) is any child who has lost his or her father before reaching maturity, while according to UNICEF, an orphan is any child under 18 years who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death.”
In their goodwill messages, former Chairman of Gusau Local Government, Sheikh Aminu Aliyu Modibbon Gusau; Hon. Yusuf Sabo Tsafe of the Zamfara State House of Assembly; and Malama Hadiza Maharazu highlighted the Islamic significance of caring for orphans.
“Let us remember the saying of Prophet Muhammad (SAW): ‘The one who cares for an orphan and I will be together in Paradise like this,’” Malama Hadiza quoted, holding up two fingers side by side.
They called on the Muslim Ummah to emulate such charitable acts, noting that assisting orphans is among the greatest deeds that bring one closer to Almighty Allah and earn honor in the Hereafter.
One of the beneficiaries, Khadija Sani, expressed heartfelt appreciation and prayed for Allah to reward the foundation and its founder for their generosity.
In his remarks, the Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Abdulkadir Ibrahim Bello , commended CESVHOC for its humanitarian efforts, described the initiative as a demonstration of strong commitment to ensuring that, orphans in the state have access to education and a sense of belonging.
He urged residents of the Gusau Emirate to emulate the gesture by supporting orphans, the less privileged, and persons living with disabilities.
