Over 150 Indigent Widows Benefit From EYAF Interest-Free Loan Scheme in Anam – Anekwe

By Praise Chinecherem

More than 150 indigent widows have benefited from interest-free micro-credit loans provided by the Elite Youths of Anam Foundation (EYAF) as part of its community empowerment interventions, the foundation’s President, Dr. Christopher Ejike Anekwe, has said.

Anekwe disclosed this while reviewing the organisation’s achievements ahead of its 10th anniversary celebration scheduled for December 5, 2026.

He said the initiative was designed to provide financial assistance to vulnerable women and support their participation in economic activities.

According to him, the programme has expanded over the years, with beneficiaries receiving interest-free loans through a process that has involved community and religious institutions in identifying and screening applicants.

Figures provided by the foundation indicate that 16 widows received ₦20,000 each in 2020, while 24 widows received loans totalling ₦500,000 during the 2020/2021 period.

In 2022, 72 indigent widows reportedly received ₦1.44 million in interest-free loans, while 41 widows received ₦1.025 million in 2023.

Anekwe described the scheme as part of EYAF’s broader approach to development, which combines direct financial assistance with efforts to improve people’s capacity to become economically productive.

“Our approach is capacity-building, participatory and development-oriented,” he said.

He explained that the foundation sought to ensure that its interventions addressed identifiable needs while contributing to a broader objective of economic and social empowerment.

The EYAF President acknowledged that funding remained one of the major challenges facing the organisation, given the scale of community needs and the limited resources available to a community-based foundation.

He said the foundation had relied on donors, members, volunteers, partnerships and community mobilisation to sustain its activities.

Pharmacist Dr. Emman Ude-Akpeh, Chairman of EYAF’s Board of Trustees, was identified by Anekwe as a major supporter of the widow loan programme and the organisation’s development.

According to him, Ude-Akpeh initiated and sponsored the interest-free micro-revolving loan scheme, helping it grow over the years.

Looking ahead, EYAF plans to strengthen its institutional systems, improve beneficiary records and expand its broader Edu-Support Fund to include disadvantaged students, girls, orphans and physically challenged learners.

Anekwe said the foundation’s long-term objective was to create a culture in which people who receive assistance would eventually become contributors to the development of their communities.

“The beneficiary of today should become the contributor of tomorrow,” he said.

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