All over the world, women empowerment is seen as an obligation not only for government but individuals who have the wherewithal and blessed enough to be able to assist the downtrodden. While poverty has no gender, the pang of it could be more intense and debilitating for women especially those who have children to cater for.

Without mincing words, the wish of any mother is to put smiles on the faces of her children; to see that their needs are met as much as possible and to mould them to greatness.

This dream cannot be realized in want and in abject poverty. Besides, their potentials to contribute to the social and economic activities in the community would be stifled. Thus, women empowerment is not only a means to build and protect the future of the children but an opportunity to enhance women's status and propel them to contribute their quota to social and economic development of a nation.

The First Lady of Kwara State, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed through her LEAH Charity Foundation recently toured the 16 local government areas of the state on a special empowerment programme for women. The empowerment was aimed at uplifting the living standards of womenfolk in the state.

The special empowerment programme by Mrs Ahmed was therefore endorsed as a gesture capable of promoting the status of women in the state. It was an all-encompassing programme focusing on the wellbeing and wellness of the women. It was not ethno-religious as the beneficiaries cut across residents of the state irrespective of their religion, tribe or state of origin.

Prior to the empowerment programme, the LEAH Charity foundation, worried by the danger posed to women by the deadly cancer disease which had claimed the lives of the high and the mighty in Nigeria, had initiated a cancer campaign aimed at sensitizing women in the state on the danger of cancer. To the foundation, prevention is better than cure. Besides, the message passed to all as attested to by medical practitioners, was that though deadly the disease can be prevented with early detection and treatment.

The sensitization was taken further through the establishment of cancer screening centres across the 16 Local Governments where no fewer than 8, 886 have been screened. During the celebration of world cancer day in February, the First Lady had urged Nigerians to disabuse their minds from the myths that; "cancer should not be discussed, that it has no symptoms, cannot be treated and those affected cannot get care".

She then advised women to avail themselves the opportunity of her cancer centre to get screened, saying, "we have a therapy we offer at this centre, once they come for it, that nips it in the bud so that it doesn't go beyond that level and that vaccine is free".

Other interventions by the foundation include the Omolewa Safe Motherhood initiative at Alapa Cottage Hospital which records over 30 births in a month with zero mortality; adoption of 954 orphans, the clinic on wheels initiative where 1.38million people have been attended to; 29 basic breast and cervical cancer screening centres.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the empowerment programme held at Government House Ilorin, the First Lady disclosed that over 3, 500 women have been empowered at various times with different tools of trade, adding that more than 200, 000 widows and the less privileged have also received relief materials at one time or the other.

At the closing ceremony attended by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, 400 women selected from different walks of life were given items such as refrigerators, sewing machines, grinding machines, hair dressing machine and chilling coolers while south-south and south-east women in the state were given financial support to the tune of N2.7m as 11 states constituting the two regions got N250, 000 each.

Representatives of Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) and the Women wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) in the state declared openly that women have never had it so good. They were full of praises to the First Lady for the gesture.

Also women leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Mrs. Sarat Adebayo described the empowerment as a right decision towards enhancing the status of women to add value to the economy.

According to Mrs. Ahmed, the empowerment was borne out of her conviction that it would enable the women "to participate actively in economic activities, help to build the economies of our communities and improve the quality of the lives of our women, children, men and our families".

"It is only when we have families that are economically viable that we can as a state boldly declare that our prosperity is shared in accordance with the administration's shared prosperity vision", she added.

Secretary, Board of Trustees, LEAH foundation, Dr. (Mrs.) Biola Adimula disclosed that the cancer centres established across the 16 LGAs could be accessed for screening by women at a cost of N200, saying all other expenses have been borne by the foundation. She said the First Lady had been able to secure international collaborative support on health challenges for women in the state.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed who declared the empowerment closed endorsed LEAH foundation's approach to empowerment "that involves teaching people to fish and look after themselves rather than providing stipends that can only take them so far".

He lauded the foundation for its laudable partnership with the state government "in our determination to fill the development deficits in our dear state".