Prince Archibong Life Foundation Reaches out to Widows
2020 ended with smiles on the faces of widows in Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene and Essien Udim Local Government Areas as Prince Archibong Life Foundation reached out to them with food items, cash and wrappers.
The Prince Archibong Life Foundation donated 500 bags of rice and 420 pieces of wrappers to widows from the area. Others who also benefited from the 2020 End of the Year Community Outreach were coordinators of the foundation across the three local government area.
According to the Chairman of the Foundation, who is an Akwa Ibom- born Industrialist, Prince Mendy Archibong, the gesture is his own way of thanking God for His grace upon lives in the year 2020 and also his way of celebrating his people.
Archibong said besides the gesture, his foundation will commence skill acquisition training for 100 youths selected from Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene and Essien Udim in 2021.
While noting that his outreach does not have political undertone, he offered insight to the fact that he started community outreach in December 2019 in his hometown, Ikpe Mbak Eyop in Obot Akara local Government area where he gave work tools including two motorcycle, six sewing machines, and cash to indigenes of the area under his rural commerce support programme.
The Industrialist added “A few months later, precisely in March 2020, when the index case of the deadly coronavirus disease was recorded in Akwa Ibom State, we blazed the trail by lunching the first community-based sensitization programme and distribution of
personal protective equipment to schools and communities in Ikot Ekpene and Obot Akara.”
“We were the first private organisation to sponsor pubiic health educators to go to public schools in Ikot Ekpene and Obot Akara to sensitize teachers and
students on the Coronavirus disease. At the foot of the sensitization where we
distributed hand sanitizers, disinfectants, nose masks at Lutheran High School, Ikot Obong Edong, lkot Ekpene and Government Grammar School, Ikpe Mbak Eyop in Obot Akara, we also presented personal protective equipment to our royal father, His Royal Majesty, Edidem Uwa Umo Adiaka.”
Archibong recalled that during the COVID-19 lockdown, his Foundation keyed into the intervention of the Akwa Ibom State Government by distributing food ltems including over 150 bags of rice, 150 cartons of noodles and beans as palliative to the 74 village heads in Obot Akara local government, Ward exco of the PDP in Obot Akara ward 1, widows in the five communities that made up Obot Akara ward 1 then and communities in Obot Akara.
He stated that the intervention were done under the Foundation’s community emergency invention Programme to Support the response of Governor Udom Emmanuel to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Chairman of the Foundation noted that in the last six months, they have partnered two groups, Akwa Ibom Liberatlon Movement (AILM) and Afe Mkparawa Annang to reach out to patients in different hospitals in the State.
Some of the hospitals he mentioned to have been visited and contributions made to paying the bills of some patients include, General Hospitals in lkot Ekpene and lquita Oron, Saint Luke’s Hospital, Anua and Cottage Hospital, Ukana, Essien Udim Local Government Area.
He said theFoundation has donated a brand new fully branded bus to Akwa Ibom Liberation Movement (AlLM) as a token to support the State Governor towards mobilizing more people to support his completion agenda and transition programmes.
Archibong added ” In October, barely two months ago, Our Foundation restored water supply to five communities in Obot Akara local government. Water projects at Obot Atan and Ikpe Usung lta communities which were used as pilots to implement the European Union, Rural Water and Sanitation Project (WASH) packed up early this year throwing five communities that directly benefited from the project into serious hardship.”
“When the water project in Obot Atan community packed up, ten water cistern toilets at Methodist Primary School, Obot Atan which were constructed under the
Sanitation component of the EU-WASH project could not be put to use.”
“In October, we repaired the water project at Obot Atan and fixed broken taps at all the distributions points where the water is reticulated to. Now, our children at Primary School Obot Atan are enjoying their WASH facilities and residents of Ikpe Mbak Eyop are enjoying a non-stop supply of clean water.”
” At the same time, our Foundation gave financial support to Ikpe Usung Ita community to repair her 18000 litres water facility that had also packed up. The repairs had been completed and water supply is restored to Ikpe Usung Ita and adjoining communities. We have made a number of other outreaches which we cannot list here.”
The Industrialist explained that his Foundation seeks to offer pro-tem and sustainable interventions in community infrastructure, healthcare, education, and human empowerment with a bias to widows and youths.
This he pointed out is in line with the policy and programmes of the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
The Chairman of the Foundation said they are open to partnerships and collaborations that will provide Solutions to the crises caused by hunger, poverty and unemployment in our communities.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman of Obot Akara Local Government Area, Lady Agnes Udoenwenwen and the Wife of Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Lady Blessing Monday Uko commended Prince Archibong for the gesture, his choice of beneficiaries and consistency.
Lady Uko said “We want to thank God that people are still remembering the widows. Archibong has not forgotten the poor and orphans and his home even as things are hard globally. We ask God to replenish wherever he got it from a hundrefold and bring him back home everytime.”
For Lady Udoenwenwen “It is only someone that loves his people deeply will do what he has done. Many have but cannot share. That he has chosen to share with the widows the little he has, God will bless and continue to grow in him that love for his people.”
