Feeding for peace, unity and empowerment

Worried by the level of poverty, unemployment, hunger and insurgency in the country, a philanthropist and humanitarian has taken it upon himself to provide free food and medicaments to the needy in Abuja and its environs at a centre known as the Marian Soup Kitchen.  The Most Rev. Dr  Fr. Willy Ojukwu, the parish priest […]

Worried by the level of poverty, unemployment, hunger and insurgency in the country, a philanthropist and humanitarian has taken it upon himself to provide free food and medicaments to the needy in Abuja and its environs at a centre known as the Marian Soup Kitchen.
 The Most Rev. Dr  Fr. Willy Ojukwu, the parish priest of the Holy Cross Catholic Church Gwarinpa, who is the initiator and founder of the project, said the primary aim of the centre was to feed those who could not afford a meal a day and provide an opportunity for skill acquisition.
 The priest said though the project looked an ambitious one, he hoped it would restore respect, dignity and happiness to thousands of Nigerians seeking a means of livelihood.
 The Marian Soup Kitchen (MSK) project is specifically fashioned to give hope to the homeless, poor, needy, widow, handicap and others predisposed to the harshness of the socio-economic situation.
“The centre is also designed to assist the downtrodden to acquire skills in selected trades and to provide minimum assistance in setting up such beneficiaries,” he said.
According to Ojukwu, the project is geared toward imparting on people that “God loves them in spite of any evil they might have committed.”
He said: “The project kicked off with the provision of an 800- 1000 seating capacity soup kitchen to provide food free for the poor and needy, irrespective of tribe or religious affiliation. We envisage that no fewer than one million people would benefit monthly from the feeding.”
Referring to the Bible, Ojukwu said the MSK is graciously spurred by Isaiah 55:1, which says: “Come everyone who is thirsty, here is water, you who have no money come eat corn and drink the wine it will cost you nothing.”
He explained that the kitchen accepted the challenge contained in Matt. 25:37 which says “I was hungry, you gave me to eat, thirsty and gave me to drink, now come into the kingdom.”
The kitchen, he said, would accommodate everyone irrespective of tribe or religion without asking questions, rather it would act and take everybody as brother and sister.
 “We believe in the dignity and value of individuals. Nobody likes to be a parasite. We don’t only feed people but we try to empower them to feed themselves,” he also said.
The church opened its first humanitarian kitchen in Gwagwalada – Kuje road, Abuja on October 11, 2014 and the centre has continued to provide food weekly for the three prisons under the Federal Capital Territory’s command in Abuja.
It has fed at least 1,000 indigent Nigerians daily and 2,000 prisoners weekly.
The project is also designed to empower people through skill acquisition to make them self-employed.
“Marian Soup Kitchen provides counseling unit, specialists who advise on how to get job placement, and running small scale cottage industry by teaching those in need how to make soap, candle and hair dressing, sewing etc.
“In other words, it helps them to be useful to themselves and society and appreciate God’s goodness to them. Life is not hopeless,” the philanthropist said.
About N300 million would be required to implement the skill acquisition programme for 300 persons in the next five years, he said, adding that the initiative would assist government in providing job opportunities.
He also said a human empowerment centre (HEC) is to be created on the platform of the kitchen to implement the skill acquisition and empowerment project.
The centre would be equipped with workshops, electricity generating set, toilets and bathrooms, changing rooms, security house, store, water and sports facilities.
The programmes are shoe and  leather works;  aluminium fabrication;  bead stringing and hat making;  tile laying/pave lock making;  catering and hotel management; vulcanizing/wheel balancing and alignment; computer/phone repairs; tailoring, welding and fabrication.
Others are hair dressing/barbing and cosmetology, wood and furniture making, photography, farming, poultry, fishery, vegetable and cropping.
The humanitarian programme would be further enhanced if the public made donations to support the services provided, he said.
“There are many ways to donate to Marian Soup Kitchen. The quickest is to donate online.  Donations could come in form of cash and equipment,’’ he said.
Chairman of the committee working for the success of the centre,  Christopher Ashibuogwu, said the center would serve as a unifying force for all.
“The essence is to feed 1,000 a day. Since August last year, we have fed over 48,000 inmates; it’s not about just the food but we had to start there because people can’t afford three square meals a day.
“The second phase is to bring people together and teach them a trade, like the abandoned children, the almajiri and all vulnerable persons. Those who don’t have anything will now have a place to eat,” the clergyman-cum-philanthropist said.