CBA Foundation Rewriting Story of Widowhood in Nigeria
Pius Eromosele
The loss of a husband often signals more than just the end of a marriage; it frequently marks the beginning of a systemic descent into invisibility. For many women in Nigeria, widowhood brings with it a harsh cocktail of cultural marginalisation, social exclusion, economic disenfranchisement, and the daunting challenge of raising children without a safety net. It is within this complex social landscape that the Chinwe Bode-Akinwande (CBA) Foundation has operated for the past decade, serving as a catalyst for profound structural change against the realities facing women and transforming despair into newfound purpose.
As the CBA Foundation celebrates its 10th anniversary, its impact has evolved from local outreach into a massive movement for social justice, proving that with the right support, the less privileged can move from the margins of society to the centre of its economic life.
The story of the CBA Foundation is rooted in the philosophy of HOPE (Happiness Of Purpose Embraced). HOPE is a functional framework that guides every intervention, from providing a bag of rice to a hungry family to empowering a widow to establish asmall business. Over the last 10 years, the foundation has meticulously built a model that addresses the five core pillars of human stability: capacity building, health, nutrition, education, and self-employment.
These needs being addressed simultaneously means that the foundation ensures that its beneficiaries are being reintegrated into the economic and social fabric of their communities. The progress made in 2025 alone highlights the increasing momentum of this mission, showing a foundation that is expanding its geographic footprint while deepening its local impact.
The past year was a landmark period that combined advocacy with direct action. The Foundation worked tirelessly to identify those most in need, moving beyond the urban centres and into the rural heartlands where support is often scarcest. The 2025 calendar was punctuated by high-impact events like the Walk4Hope 2025 and the maiden edition of the CBA Foundation Conference.
These events were complemented by the daily work of financial empowerment and educational support, creating a comprehensive ecosystem of care that is reflected in the following milestones:
• 565 underprivileged widows across Ogun, Lagos and Anambra States received direct support, ranging from immediate welfare packages to long-term social advocacy, ensuring they were seen and heard in their communities.
• 82 widows were financially empowered through targeted business support, allowing them to either launch brand-new micro-enterprises or sustain existing ones that were on the brink of collapse due to lack of capital.
• The Walk4Hope 2025 successfully mobilised 125 passionate participants who rallied for five kilometres through the streets of Lagos, turning a physical exercise into a powerful demonstration of solidarity and a call for the protection of widows’ rights.
• The maiden CBA Foundation Conference was successfully held with 125 key participants, including policymakers and social workers, creating a new platform for high-level dialogue on breaking the cycle of poverty and vulnerability for Nigerian widows.
In its decade-long journey, the foundation has reached a staggering 10,758 women through empowerment initiatives, providing them with the skills, confidence and resources to navigate life after loss. The foundation’s commitment to physical well-being has resulted in 6,150 health interventions, offering life-saving medical screenings and treatments to those who otherwise could not afford basic healthcare. To combat the chronic issue of food insecurity, 12,925 individuals have been supported through the foundation’s nutrition programmes, ensuring that the most vulnerable families have access to consistent, healthy meals.
Recognising that education is the ultimate poverty-breaker, the foundation has sponsored 180 children to receive quality basic education, preventing the intergenerational cycle of poverty from claiming another victim. Through its specialized self-employment scheme, 374 individuals have been fully established in their own businesses, transforming them from aid recipients into employers and active contributors to the local economy.
These numbers represent a fundamental shift in the lives of thousands. When 82 widows are empowered to start businesses in a single year, it means 82 households have moved from the brink of starvation to a state of self-sufficiency. It means hundreds of children are no longer at risk of being pulled out of school to hawk on the streets. The financial empowerment programme is particularly significant because it addresses the wealth gap that widowhood creates. With the provision of seed capital and business mentorship, the CBA Foundation ensures that these women have the agency to determine their own futures.
The CBA Foundation’s evolution is a story of resilience of the Nigerian woman. What started as a vision to help a few has grown into a structured institution that can mobilise thousands of persons to advocate for and influence national policy in favour of the less privileged in society. The 2025 maiden conference, in particular, signals a new era for the foundation, one where it moves from providing service to shaping the conversation around widowhood at a legislative level.
As the CBA Foundation enters its second decade, the goal remains as clear as it was on day one: to ensure that no widow feels alone, and no underprivileged child is denied a future. The achievements of 2025 serve as both a celebration of how far the foundation has come and a roadmap for the work that still lies ahead.
In a society that too often looks away from suffering, the CBA Foundation has spent 10 years looking directly at it and saying: “We can change this.” The thousands of lives touched, the businesses started, and the children educated are the living legacy of a foundation that believes in the inherent dignity of every human being, regardless of their social or economic standing.
* Mr. Eromosele, a public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos
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