Echoes from the successful Mothers' Summit 2017 continues with the call by wife of the governor of Anambra State, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Obiano (Osodieme) on Anambra Women not to go in pursuit of career and neglect the important task of motherhood. Osodieme gave the advice in her address during the fourth edition of Mothers Summit held at Prof Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre Awka during the week.
Represented by the Commissioner for Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs, Dr. Victoria Chikwelu, Osodieme called on mothers to make time for proper upbringing of their children. According to the wife of the governor, “we all appreciate the need to be meaningfully engaged and earn an income to support the upkeep of the family. But the ability to strike a balance between the essential of motherhood and demands of a career is what determines how successful we become as mothers.”
Said She: “This period of economic crisis and politicking is perhaps one of the most challenging times for families in our state and our nation. There is no doubt that the prevailing hardship has put enormous pressure on parents who go out daily in search of means of catering for the welfare of the house-hold. Whereas motherhood is our primary responsibility, pursuit and engaging in careers are equally good. However, it is important that mothers who hold careers that keep them actively engaged away from the home front should lead by example by striking a healthy balance between adequate parenting on the home-front and earning income to support the up-keep of the family.“
Osodieme also commended choice of the theme of the 2017 Mothers’ Summit, which is "Occupation and Motherhood: Getting our Priorities Right for Peaceful Home and Society," and charged the women to avail themselves the opportunity of free skill acquisition training and empowerment through her nongovernmental organization, the Caring Family Enhancement Initiative, CAFÉ, for self-reliant.
She enumerated the achievements of her NGO, CAFE in three years including, building of ten houses for some indigent widows in the state, training and empowering of over 2600 women on skills, building of eleven modern toilets to promote hygiene in rural markets across Senatorial zones of the state, constructing of 21 water bore holes in twenty-one communities across the Local Government Areas, fitting of over 700 physically challenged persons with prosthetic limbs, among others. Osodieme equally assured the women of CAFÉ's commitment to their welfare, especially the less privileged and the helpless amongst them.
The highpoint of the event which attracted the women from the one hundred and seventy-nine communities of the state was the presentation of empowerment equipment like Garri and Palm Oil Processing machines to women cooperative societies by the Special Guest of Honour and Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano. The presentation was in fulfillment of the governor's wife's promises made to the women groups during 2016 tour of the communities in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs.
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