Priscilla Christopher-Akpanettot
The Uyo Branch of the Destined Women and Child Foundation (DWCF) has called for greater empowerment and active participation of women in community development, stressing that no society can achieve sustainable progress when women, youths and children are left behind.
The call was made on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at the Foundation’s inaugural public lecture held at Government Primary School, Afaha Ikot Obio Nkan, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State by her Founder, Chief Stella Elijah Etim.
The lecture, themed “The Role of Women in Community Development,” was delivered by Dr. Paul Bassey Okon, while the Chairman of Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, Dr. Eric Odo, chaired the occasion.
In her remarks, Founder of DWCF, Chief Stella Elijah Etim, said the foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation legally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja in 2011, was established out of the conviction that meaningful development must be inclusive.
She said DWCF is committed to empowering women and youths, protecting vulnerable children and contributing to community development through healthcare, education, economic empowerment, agriculture, skills acquisition, capacity building, public participation and rural infrastructure.
Etim explained that the foundation had, across its areas of operation, provided shelter for women, potable water through borehole projects, educational assistance, free medical services, food and clothing materials, as well as training in fish and poultry production and processing.
She added that DWCF also engages in voter education in partnership with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while collaborating with security agencies, government ministries and other stakeholders to improve the wellbeing of communities.
Highlighting the foundation’s activities in Akwa Ibom, the DWCF founder said that in less than one year, more than 400 women had been mobilised and registered with the Ministry of Women Affairs in Uyo.
She said the foundation had provided foodstuff, shelter, meeting facilities and more than 200 chairs for the women, while introducing financial management and monthly savings schemes.
Etim described the empowerment initiative as the beginning of a broader effort to make women economically independent and capable of becoming employers of labour, stressing that the foundation’s ultimate goal was to transform families and communities “one woman, one young person and one child at a time.”
In his remarks, Chairman and Grand Patron of the occasion, Dr. Eric Odo, challenged political office holders and other leaders to make empowerment of vulnerable citizens a central responsibility of governance.
He said leadership came with the obligation to improve the lives of the people, urging elected officials to give widows, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups their rightful place in development programmes.
Odo particularly encouraged political leaders to adopt sustainable support schemes for widows, citing the monthly assistance provided to widows and persons with disabilities under his administration as a model worth replicating.
He further urged women to become more assertive in demanding accountability from elected representatives, saying empowerment was essential to economic self-reliance and personal dignity.
According to him, women possess diverse talents and comparative advantages that, if properly supported, can translate into sustainable businesses and employment opportunities.
He also argued that the goal should not merely be to distribute assistance, but to create opportunities through which women could become economically independent and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
The event culminated in the inauguration of patrons of the DWCF Uyo Branch, including Ambassador Samson Akpan of Memories TV, who pledged sustained support for the Foundation and wished it continued growth and impact.
The programme also featured a colourful cultural display and the launch of the group’s official uniform.
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