Serendipity House Widows Foundation Seeks Support To Care For 900 Widowed Families Monthly

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Serendipity House Widows Foundation (SHWF), one of Nigeria’s longest-serving widowcare organisations, has appealed to governments, corporate organisations, foundations, faith-based institutions, philanthropists, and compassionate individuals to support its growing efforts to provide food, counselling, healthcare assistance, empowerment, and emotional support to vulnerable widows and their families.
Speaking in Lagos, Olori Dame Ayo Yemisi Jaiyeola, Founder and Missioner of the foundation, expressed concern over the worsening economic conditions affecting millions of widows across Nigeria and Africa.
According to her, rising food costs, unemployment, inadequate social welfare systems, and increasing family pressures have left many widows struggling to survive and care for their children.
“Behind every widow is a story of loss, adjustment, uncertainty, and often silent suffering. Many widows face emotional trauma, loneliness, economic hardship, health challenges, and the responsibility of raising children without adequate support,” she said.
Olori Jaiyeola explained that Serendipity House Widows Foundation currently provides support for approximately 900 widowed families every month, equivalent to about 30 widows receiving assistance daily, through various intervention programmes.
These programmes include food and nutrition support, counselling and emotional care, healthcare assistance, fellowship and prayer support, skills acquisition and empowerment initiatives, educational support for widows and their children, emergency intervention programmes, social and community support services.
She noted that the number of widows seeking assistance continues to increase due to economic challenges, insecurity, displacement, health crises, and the growing burden placed upon women after the loss of their spouses.
“For many widows, even a simple meal can become a daily struggle. Yet every widow deserves dignity, hope, encouragement, and an opportunity to rebuild her life. We cannot do this work alone. We need partners who will stand with us in restoring hope to vulnerable families,” she stated.
Founded in 1995, Serendipity House Widows Foundation has remained committed to widowcare, family support, advocacy, counselling, and humanitarian assistance for over 31 years.
According to her, more than 45,000 widows have received various forms of support through its programmes since inception.
She disclosed that the organisation is currently seeking financial and material support to strengthen its operations, including expansion of its widows’ food bank, acquisition of an eight-seater outreach and intervention bus, development and expansion of facilities at the widows centre, healthcare and emergency response programmes, educational support for vulnerable children of widows and economic empowerment initiatives for widows.
Olori Jaiyeola emphasised that widowcare should not be left to charities alone but should become a collective responsibility of governments, communities, corporations, religious institutions, and concerned citizens.
“Every society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. When widows are forgotten, families suffer. When widows are supported, communities become stronger. Together, we can ensure that no widow sleeps hungry, suffers alone, or loses hope,” she stated.
She said that Serendipity feeds over 30 needy widows picked from every state in Nigeria.
She called on organisations and individuals around the world to join the foundation’s mission of providing practical care, dignity, compassion, and sustainable support for widows and vulnerable families.