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Mrs. U. lost her husband in May 2015 after a sudden medical emergency. She has four children in the age range 9 - 16 years, and works as a fashion designer. We first got involved with Mrs. U. through the program last year when Red Acacia assisted in paying her daughter’s school bus fare. Her daughter stood the risk of not being allowed to write her final secondary school exams had she not paid within a certain time limit – which had almost expired.

More recently (2017), we assisted again in rent beef-up funds to enable her move her young family to a new home and avoid eviction at their current residence.

In her words:

"On that fateful day in May 2015, I watched my husband who had just come back from work say he didn't like how he was feeling and immediately he told me to come with him to a nearby hospital. There, they said they didn't have oxygen to treat him. Immediately, we hailed a cab to help take us to another hospital. Before we got there, he passed away on my laps. His last words, which are forever in my heart, were, "JESUS HELP ME, JESUS HELP ME, JESUS HELP ME.".

The family shocked me when they took his corpse without me knowing, and to frustrate me, only buried him on August 7, 2015 (a clear 5 months after his death). In the village, they said all sorts of things about me, and humiliated me.

From then till now, none of them have ever called me to ask about me or our children. They left me to carry my burden alone since 2015. It has been God, my children, and I.

My challenges are:

• The inability to pay house rent
•  Not to pay my children's school fees (many atimes, they have stayed at home because of this).
• My business - I wish I could start another more viable one.
• A car, and
• Emotional encouragement

Currently, I have been given quit notice to leave my house in March 2017."

Please contact us for Mrs. U.'s contact details if you are moved to help her further.

Mrs. S.'s husband worked as a mechanic in one of the many local roadside auto workshops on the Lagos Mainland. He had a wife and 3 children. He developed a Kidney problem in 2016 and unfortunately passed away.

By the time he was being buried, they were in dire financial need after having spent a considerable part of their savings and borrowings on dialysis and other related treatments/medications.

Mrs. S. works as an Ajoo official (money contributions/savings with fellow traders). She has three children aged 19, 16, and 12. The first attends OAU, the second just finished from Command Secondary School, while the third born is in JSS1.

Red Acacia assisted in helping Mrs. S. to finance school fees for one of her children for the term following her husband's death last year, and more recently (2017) assisted in meeting urgent financial needs related to the upkeep of the family.

Please contact us for Mrs. S.'s contact details if you are moved to help her further.

For a while, we have not updated our Widow Support Stories.

Often times, widows find the fact that they require assistance embarrassing. Because of this, we have decided to keep widows identities anonymous, while still telling the story of how we have, together with your support, assisted the widows in our society. If you are moved to assist further on a given story, please reach out to us for the widow's contact details. Thank you for understanding.

We met Mummy Beatrice in 2014. She had been homeless for many years, had squatted with kind-hearted people, in churches, and sometimes had had nowhere to stay. One day, she opened up to us at the store and asked for assistance. That saw us raising funds to enable her get a respectable living space which Red Acacia paid for for a year. This happened in December 2015.

"To tell you the truth, my people. I can't narrate all I and my son have passed through, but I cannot cease to thank the Living God that I am serving. For without Him, thinking would have taken me away from this Earth long ago.

I lost my husband on August the 1st, 2007. Since then life has been very miserable to us. I was unable to send my son to the University, which was my most desired aim. At least, he would have been able to take care of me and the family he will have. I could not move forward with my catering field due to financial conditions facing me. I could not even get money for accommodation. Very bad.

I am from Isheaguru, in Delta State. I am more than happy to receive assistance from Red Acacia, and pray that the Almighty God Jehovah should continue to give them the strength to do so in Jesus' Name.

Amen." 

SOMETIMES I just look up, smile and say, "I know that was You God. THANKS!!"

I got a call the previous night from Mrs. D.

She was in a very bad place emotionally…she and her first son clearly needed intervention. She wanted me to contact a psychologist I had told her about prior. She needed deep grief counselling for she and her first son. Her son is 13. I promised I’d get consultations scheduled, and we agreed we’d meet the following morning at my shop. I had a prior appointment I couldn’t break, otherwise I’d have gone to see her at home.

Mrs. D lost her husband on the 30^th of April last year in deeply traumatic circumstances, and she was present. The sight she witnessed has made it even more difficult to truly move on. And though she recognizes that she needs to do this, especially for the sake of their 2 sons, it has been extremely challenging – despite her best efforts. And I can tell you for free – she has tried so hard to.

I sent an SOS message to the psychologist to try and arrange for consultations at discounted rates for Mrs. D and her son, but got no response. I also called, but the phone rang out without being answered.

Following this dead end, I tried getting an introduction to an amazing lady (Chief Mrs. Taiwo Taiwo, AART of Life Foundation) I met through a powerful counselling session she gave my sister-in-law when she lost her husband last year. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach her through the channels I tried. She is an amazing grief counsellor and I would still love a formal introduction for Mrs. D.

Mrs. D had barely sat down the next morning, when the lady I had an appointment with arrived. The lady, a Professor in UNILAG had called me the previous day. She got our contact details and information from the Internet and she wanted to donate used furniture and household items to our shop’s Widow Support Program. We had our meeting, and agreed to proceed to collect the items together. I then asked her to hold on for me to attend to Mrs. D – who was waiting on the other side of my shop.

I explained to Mrs. D my efforts at getting proper counselling, and that I had not yet succeeded, but knew I would by end of day (though I didn’t know how). When Mrs. D started speaking about what had led to the meltdown the previous night, she broke down into uncontrollable sobs. From across the room, my visitor asked gently, “Is everything alright there? I am a psychologist and can help.”

I was shocked to my roots.

Note that we had been very subdued in our conversation, given its private nature. So she did not know we were looking for a psychologist, nor what the conversation was about. She was not even focused on us until Mrs. D broke down.

It turns out that she is Professor Agiobu-Kemmer, Head of the Department of Psychology, University of Lagos. I researched her much later in the day.

I turned to Prof. and said, “Madam, I believe this is the REAL reason you are here today. Yes, please we need your help.”

Please, if this is not God, what is it??? Who are we that He is so mindful of us?

Sometimes I just look up, smile and say, “I know that was You God. THANKS!!”

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a