In continuing with its mission of giving dignity to widows in need through its annual Empowerment Programme, Servants for the Needy Foundation (SNF) has successfully concluded its 2025 skills acquisition and empowerment programme, where 16 participants were trained in income-generating skills and empowered to begin small-scale enterprises.
The empowerment initiative, held in Kaduna, focused on uplifting individuals from underprivileged backgrounds, especially widows and orphans, by training them in income-generating skills and giving them the tools to pursue meaningful and productive livelihoods. Upon successful completion of their training, the Foundation made the following disbursements:
- 13 participants received ₦100,000 each as start-up capital.
- 2 participants received ₦50,000 each, and
- 1 participant was presented with a sewing machine to begin a tailoring business.
The founder and CEO of the foundation, a mid-career Master of Public Administration candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and alum of Harvard Divinity School (MTS ’25), Chief Servant Emmanuel Junior Zakka, attributed the success of the programme to the sacrificial contributions of committed individuals within the organization. He remarked that the empowerment was made possible by the unwavering commitment of members of the foundation, who gave generously to support the cause. Furthermore, a benevolent individual—moved by the vision of the Foundation—donated the sum of ₦1 million to support the empowerment initiative this year. To God be the glory.
The training covered various vocational skills designed to help the beneficiaries generate income and become self-reliant. The programme culminated in a dignified presentation ceremony attended by members of the foundation, clergy, and other stakeholders who lauded the foundation’s grassroots approach to poverty alleviation.
Some of the beneficiaries, visibly moved with emotion, expressed their gratitude to the foundation and its members and all who made it possible for them to receive the training and grants. “We came here with nothing but hope and are leaving with skills, capital, and a future,” one of them said.
Through initiatives such as this, the Servants for the Needy Foundation continues to uphold the time-honoured values of charity, stewardship, and communal responsibility. It stands as a shining testimony to what can be accomplished when hearts and hands unite in service to others.
Servants for the Needy was founded in February 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic by Emmanuel Junior Zakka, who a widow raised through hardship and perseverance. The foundation has been able to reach approximately 500 beneficiaries with its food subsidy support initiative and over 50 people through its empowerment programme. The mission of the foundation is to provide food subsidies, soft skills training, and start-up support while mobilizing resources to empower vulnerable widows, aiming to lift many out of abject poverty and enable them to live meaningful lives.
Pastor Jerome Akyasa Waziri
Secretary of the Foundation
