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.
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 were doing in training them and caring for the aged was 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”, she said.
The wife of the governor disclosed that she had a programme which trains midwives to manage child delivery in remote communities explaining that the midwives were 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 a 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, the 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 was 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 were 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 of 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.”
