Brisa Women Foundation celebrates 10th anniversary of empowering indigent widows, launches global Medicine, Food Bank
Brisa Women Foundation, an organisation that focuses on empowering women, particularly indigent widows and single mothers and children on Saturday marked its tenth anniversary of philanthropic gestures.
In the well attended event in Lagos, the foundation also used the occasion to launch ‘Empower Plate’, a global drive that will build a food and medicine bank.
Speaking during the occasion, Mrs Delphine Nwachukwu, founder of Brisa Women Foundation said the organisation is all about empowering women.
“Brisa Women’s Foundation is all about empowering women. Making sure that every woman has a skill to cater for herself, her family, and also her community, which is very paramount,” she said.
She added: “There’s a saying that an empowered woman is an empowered nation. So, we have the ability to empower people around us. Besides our immediate families, we also have the ability to empower our communities. So, this is the essence of Brisa Women’s Foundation.”
On what Empower Plate is all about, the founder noted:”Empower Plate is a global food and medicine drive that will build a bank. To reiterate this fact, we have been doing this for 10 years. 10 years for a fact that there is no time in the course of the year, which is six months that we don’t provide food and medicine. The records are there.
“We have our medical outreach once in every year, every 29th of December, in remote communities to reach out to people who do not have access to healthcare and medicine.
“For the middle of the year, which we are in now, is empowering women with skills and then making sure that they have access to those skills that will also help them to cater to themselves and to their families.
“That doesn’t also stop the fact that we have also given foodstuff to those who are in their need of this foodstuff, because there are a lot of indigent humans who actually need direct foodstuff. They need this foodstuff for their immediate issue.”
On the target goal, Mrs Nwachukwu said; “The goal is to expand the scope of food and medicine, which we have, like I said, a mini bank already. But we are looking to make it a global initiative, which we have launched today. So, it’s a global initiative already. People all over the world can contribute. Then we would also start going from state to state and then outside the country to also launch this initiative.”
She said her motivation for philanthropy stemmed from her personal experience in life.
“The motivation initially for starting this is a life journey. I have gone through a journey in life that I really do not want to talk about the story now.
“There’s the right time to talk about the story. But I’ve had cause to buy garry in a wrapped polybag. Yeah, you know what I mean? I’ve had cause to buy sugar in a wrapped polybag for my children to succeed and eat. I’ve had cause to do dropshipping. I would go to somebody’s shop, pick up some stuff, negotiate with somebody, sell.”
The Director General of Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), Chief Ify Onyegbule, challenged women to support one another and to open their minds to aspire more.
“We need to understand that the first thing is for you to open your mind,” she said.
She added: “I hear that women don’t support women, I don’t believe that. That’s not true. There are many women who support me, who are still supporting me, because they see what we are doing and they say, they want to be part of this. Or you just go sit down and expect somebody to throw something on your lap; that won’t happen because you will never value it. You’ve got to work for it.
“For every woman who has risen to a certain level, you must find another woman and hold her hand.”
Dr. Nkem Imarue, one of the facilitators at the event who spoke on the topic: “The power of a creative mindset in a woman,” tasks women to develop their creative minds.
“If only you know how powerful your mindset is, you will guide the leaders,” she said.
She added: “Permit me to say, for everything that will happen here today, both the launching, both the empowerment, both the praise and everything, one thing that stands is your mindset. Whatever you will become after now, it’s your mindset. If you will own your craft after now, it’s your mindset.
“If you will shine after now, it’s your mindset. Even if you’re giving a billionaire naira, if your mindset is not in place, sorry, it’s a lie already. So we have to keep our mindsets intact.”
She said creative mindset begins with openness, a willingness to see positivities, possibilities, where others see limitations. “Believe that there is always a way, even if it hasn’t been discovered yet. Even if it hasn’t been discovered yet, there is a way.
“I keep telling my staff, if option A is not working, switch as fast as possible. If B is not working, let’s do C. If C is not working, let’s do D. There is always a way. So regardless of your craft, your business, your field, there is always a way. Don’t shut down when A is not working.
“As a woman, you must be creative because being creative creates value in you. Creativity is like a muscle, the more you use it, the more it gets stronger.”
While formally launching the ‘Empower Plate’, the chief launcher, Mr. Scote McNeil, called for collective efforts to see the initiative get stronger.
“We can build together and It is very easy; if one million people each today put money together, the smallest unit of their local currency, whether it be one dollar, one pound or one thousand naira, we can, and I pray that we will build the world’s largest food and medicine bank, focused solely on women.
“Why a woman? You may ask. Because when a woman is fed, believe it or not, a family truly thrives. When a woman is healthy, a community can rise. And when a woman is empowered, a nation in its entirety can move forward.
“Empower Plate is not a fundraiser. It’s a call for us all, here in Lagos, throughout Nigeria and internationally. It’s a call to global action. It’s a call to unite everyone together, irrespective of their class, race, geography, political beliefs, and to prove that the least among us can give. And that giving is not the job of the wealthy alone, but the responsibility of the willing. We’re not asking for millions of naira or millions of dollars from millionaires.
“We’re simply asking for the bare minimum from the many, because that’s where the power lives. The power is in the collective. I’d ask you all to picture this. Picture a young girl in Lagos, giving over a thousand naira. A female student in London, giving one British pound. A retiree who’s enjoying life, able to give one dollar to this initiative. Now, if you multiply that by a hundred million, what exactly do you get? You get a lot of money, but you start building a global army of care. We need to be clear that funds raised will go directly to establishing food and medicine banks in undeserved communities, beginning with women-led households, widows, displaced mothers, and caretakers.
“We will provide basic medical supplies and nutritional food staples, hygiene packs, and wellness goodies to those involved. We will do it with the utmost transparency, with local partners, and using Brisa’s decade of on-ground experience. So I have a few challenges for you all today. I would ask that you share this message.”
