Fides Media Living the Faith
By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, His Lordship Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, has empowered 35 unemployed persons from less privileged homes with sewing machines and grants to takeoff choice businesses.
The beneficiaries selected from across parishes in the diocese were sponsored by the Justice and Peace Development Caritas (JDPC) with a view to building prosperous and spiritually sound parishioners.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Bishop Ezeokafor, who was represented by the Chancellor of the Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Charles Ndubisi, said it was also aimed at ensuring that the talented people from the Diocese with skills became employers of labour and help to improve the services of God.
‘We want to ensure that everyone in our diocese creates impact on others. We want people to be benefactors to others within them. As our Lord Jesus Christ did by feeding the multitude, healing the sick and winning souls, we are feeding people, both spiritually and physically, with what will enable them to have abundant Life,’ he noted.
Also speaking, the Director of JDPC, Awka Diocese, Rev. Fr. Levi Uko, who said the project cost about two million Naira, urged the beneficiaries not to sell the sewing machines or divert the capital to other purposes.
‘Please kindly not sell these sewing machines but use them well for self-sustenance and creating opportunities for others to be impacted by your work and activities. We will monitor your activities to see that you invest the resources well. We don’t want you to be hungry or resort to begging,’ he noted.
The Chairman of JDPC, Awka Diocese, Hon Paulinus Adinuba, advised the beneficiaries to be circumspect in the way and manner they went about the monetary and material gifts.
In separate interviews, two of the beneficiaries, Mrs Stella Nwokedi, from Holy Family Parish, Achalla; Mrs Rita Nwabueze, from St Joseph’s Parish, Ebenebe; Mr Onochie Jonah of St Thomas Aquinas Parish Awka, and Miss Ugwu Josephine Chidinma, appreciated the kind gestures from the diocese, assuring that they would utilise the opportunity to empower others.