Tonto Dikeh Foundation Set To Empower 2,000 Widows

King Tonto, Founder of The Tonto Dikeh Foundation, disclosed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja that it plans to empower over 2,000 widows in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through its Widow’s Start-up Fund Initiative in September.

Tonto said the widows’ initiative was to provide financial support for widows.

“We will give these widows money to start small scale businesses for themselves.

“We are aware that widows have little support from both government and families and therefore are exposed to untold suffering.

“The foundation is embarking on this intervention to ease the pressure on this vulnerable group,” Tonto said.

She said the widows’ initiative by the foundation cut across many states, adding that beneficiaries were always carefully selected.

She said the NGO had also assisted no less than 3,500 students to go back to school since its establishment, adding that it would endeavour to assist the same number or more students in the future.

She also said the organisation was on the verge of completing its free school project for the less privileged.

“Our free school will admit pupils from Day Care to Primary 6. We are already collaborating with a lot of foundations to achieve this,” she said.

Tonto explained that the establishment of the free school was a way of giving back to the society, saying that nothing compares to the power of education.

“My foundation believes in education, education has brought me this far and I have seen powerful, strong and skillful people do a lot because they are educated.

“I believe education is one of the strongest tools for unlocking potentials and that is why the foundation is doing this.

“ We are concerned about elementary education for now because if we can catch them young then we will build a better society,” she said.

The Nollywood actress, who was known as Tonto Dikeh, changed her name to `King Tonto’ earlier this year.

The foundation in 2017, assisted 200 students living with disabilities to go back to school in Abuja.