The Gritty Widows Foundation (GWF) was founded and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC/IT/NO 184668) in 2022 with one powerful conviction: “when widows thrive, their families thrive — and entire communities are strengthened.”
We are a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering low-income widowed families across Nigeria to overcome poverty, rebuild their lives, and achieve financial independence.
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We started by providing food, clothing, and basic supplies to struggling widowed mothers. But we quickly learned that relief feeds a family for a day — empowerment feeds them for a lifetime.
Low-income widows don't need pity. They need an opportunity. They need tools to rebuild when everything has fallen apart.
Economic Empowerment
#AnnualEmpowerAWidow
We train low-income widows in practical skills, provide startup money, and offer mentorship to help them start businesses that support their families.
Education
#AnnualBackToSchool
We pay school fees and provide supplies for children from widowed families — because losing a father shouldn't mean losing an education.
Healthcare
#AnnualHealthAccessDrive
We partner with hospitals to give low-income widows and their children access to affordable healthcare when they need it most.
A Nigeria where low-income widowed families overcome poverty and thrive in dignity, health, and hope.
To break the poverty cycle facing widowed families through skills training, education, healthcare, and programs that create lasting change.
At 14, I lost my father. Overnight, my mother — with her small civil service salary — became the sole provider for three daughters.
She worked tirelessly. She sacrificed everything. But it was never enough.
We became one of those struggling low-income families.
I remember the nights she cried quietly. I remember the fear of being pulled out of school. I remember what it feels like when everything is uncertain.
Then my uncle helped us. His support gave us a chance — to stay in school, to hope again, to survive and eventually thrive.
That kindness planted the seed for the Gritty Widows Foundation.
Years later, I learned the truth: millions of low-income Nigerian widows face the same battles my mother did — but alone.
They're stripped of property by in-laws. Left without income. Judged by tradition. They skip meals so their children can eat. They pull kids out of school because they can't afford the fees.
I couldn't look away. Because I knew their story. I had lived their fear.
The Gritty Widows Foundation exists because no low-income widow should face her darkest days alone. Because every fatherless child deserves a chance to dream.
What started as a personal mission has become a movement of hope and transformation for low-income widowed families.
Since 2022, we've witnessed incredible changes:
- Widows starting businesses and becoming breadwinners
- Children returning to school with hope
- Families moving from desperation to stability
- Communities strengthened by empowered women
I founded this organisation because I refuse to accept that poverty is a destiny for widowed families.
Every low-income widow we serve reminds me of my mother's courage. Every child we sponsor carries dreams like I once did. Every business we help launch represents freedom — the kind my uncle's kindness made possible for us.
I couldn't look away. Because I knew their story. I had lived their fear.
When low-income widows thrive, their children flourish. When families are strengthened, communities transform.
This is our story. But it's also the story we're rewriting for thousands of low-income widowed families across Nigeria.
Will you be part of it?
- Go to the "Donate" tab on our website.
- Select the "Recurring Donation" option.
- Choose your preferred payment option — Paystack or Paypal.
- 🎒 Back to School Drive – supporting the education of children from widowed households by providing school supplies, fees, and mentorship.
- 🏥 Health Access Drive – ensuring widows and their families receive critical healthcare, screenings, and affordable HMO coverage.
- 🍲 Family Relief Support – offering food aid and essentials to ease the burden on widowed mothers caring for their children alone.
We’re committed to holistic care—because when widows thrive, so do their families.
