Anna Mbachu foundation is a charity that is operated by Cllr Anna Mbachu with the goal to educate Orphan and support the widows. Sitting with this reporter, she shared her journey, dreams, and challenges that she faced while helping those in need.
Q. Hi, Anna Mbachu. It’s so nice to meet you in person. Let’s begin with a little introduction about yourself so that those who don’t know about you get some background
A. Thank you for giving me a chance to share my voice with the world.
My name is Anna Mbachu.
I am a mother, a clinician, and a politician, currently serving as an elected councilor.
Q. Thanks for sharing about you Anna. Can you please tell our readers about your Charity? We have only heard good things about it.
A. Sure. Through my charity, I Educate the orphans and Support the widow. It is registered under the UK Company House.
The name of my charity is Anna Mbachu foundation and it was borne out of the personal experience. I became a widow when my son was 3 years, having been an orphan after losing my parents.
These occurrences didn’t prepare me for the experiences I had to go through. I am especially grateful to have been residing in the UK, the same cannot be said of women in my home country, especially the Igbo-speaking South East Nigerians, who pass through grueling harmful widowhood practices at the demise of their spouses.
In order to give back to community service, I took it upon myself to support widows economically through empowerment. As well as support the young girlchild orphan with free education up to the secondary level, to protect them from child abuse, sexual and gender-based violence, and other vices. But we have not been able to fully enforce this due to the lack of funds.
Q. How long have you been around and how did you get started?
A. We have been operating ever since the charity got registered. The foundation has been supporting the aged in the UK with Christmas hampers for over 70’s, spanning over six years ago. Also, three years ago, precisely in 2019 about 15 widows, both young and old alike, were carefully selected across the South East for business support grants to assist their petty trading business at no cost.
The event was held on the 25th of August 2019 at the St. Joseph’s catholic church in Umuna, Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria.
Q. Can you pleaseshare why your mission resonates with you?
A. The mission to support widows and the orphaned Girlchild absolutely resonates with me and my life experiences, having experienced both. I lost my husband at a young age in our young marriage, I was saddled with the responsibility to carter for 4 children alone. It wasn’t an easy feat, I must say.
However, the passion to ease the burden on widows who go through the worst experiences in my home country, pushed my resolve to create a platform where more widows can be empowered, to look beyond their current state.
Q. What inspired you to start this foundation?
A. In simple words it was my experience and the drive to give back to society.
Q. What services will donations go to and who exactly will be benefitted?
A. After the careful mapping of our prospective beneficiaries, donations will go directly to them but will be monitored by me and my team in Nigeria.
Q. Also, how many projects has your Charity completed since its inception?
A. We have carried out over 70’s Christmas hampers for six years and counting.
We have also carried out an empowerment program for about 15 widows in the Southern part of Nigeria.
Q. Aside from running this Charity, what else do you do?
A. I am a senior clinician with the National Health Service.
As a politician, I have served as the Mayor of the Waltham Forest Borough, East London.
Currently, I am an elected councilor.
I sit on board of some organizations. I have served and still serving in the leadership capacity of some socio-cultural organizations.
Q. How do you stay organized when you have a lot of responsibilities to juggle?
I am very good at multi-tasking and setting targets in order of its priority, a skill that has helped me to stay organized.
Q. What is the biggest challenge you are facing with your foundation?
A. As with every Not-for-profit organization passionate to make an impact, the challenge we have been experiencing is majorly the lack of funds.
Q. What do you think other people should know about your organization?
Part of our vision is to be a rallying point to support the less privileged through economic empowerment. We also want to be a beacon of strength to orphan girlchild and support her secondary education which sets her up for the future.
Q. What sets you apart from other organizations in your community?
A. We are a sustainable organization that targets economic empowerment through bolstering support and assisting widows with existing businesses to be self-reliant. We also target widows for capacity-building training and self-development. We support orphan girl children through secondary education with the possibility of support through university.
Q. It was great talking to you, Anna. We wish you all the best in fulfilling your mission. Those who want to know more about you and your work, where they should go?
A. I am sharing a YouTube link that will serve as a good intro about what we do.
Watch Cllr Anna Mbachu foundation Maiden Edition of Widows Empowerment and business support: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YecSs3OSZw
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