How Zaron Affects the Lives of Widows

‘Let the widows discover the inner peace of soul which God’s love, revealed to us in Christ’….. This is an excerpt of one of the prayers of the faithful which was said in church yesterday. While the lector read it out, my mind went once again to the Widows’ program by Zaron and how much impact it has had in the lives of widows who have been forced to go through life without the help of a companion.

Zaron is an indigenous beauty brand founded by Mrs. Oke Maduewesi and the widows’ program is one of the few Corporate Social Responsibilities that the brand has. However, this program is way beyond a Corporate Social Responsibility, seeing the passion and dedication which the company has vested into the program. The testimonies certainly abound and we have the opportunity to have gotten exclusive first hand testimonies of 2 widows who benefited from the program.

In 2016, we had reposted the flier which Zaron posted on Instagram containing information about the widows’ party and went further to share with as many people as we could. Fortunately, a widow whose husband had only just passed away, jumped on it and was selected. This widow has 2 young boys who are still in Primary School. Her petty trading could barely provide a decent roof over their head and she was struggling with their fees. Her husband’s company had done the best they could with 70,000 Naira. Hence her joy when Zaron not only gave her a beauty experience, but went on to give her a Zaron kit, a food hamper and a cheque of 150,000 Naira.

2017 came and we reposted the flier again and went on to share the information with as many people as we could. Of the widows that were selected, there was yet another woman who came back to give us her testimony. Permit us to tell you a little bit more about this woman’s story which we believe will enable you to grasp the love shared and discovered in this testimony.

Mrs. A (name withheld) was working with a restaurant as a cook on a salary of 15,000 Naira. I guess they tried to meet Government’s policy on the minimum wage but have failed to pay the salaries as expected. This woman was being owed for 3months despite having just lost her husband, an information that we confirmed because she just removed her mourning clothes in December 2016. The hardship continued and she was forced to leave the restaurant and start selling food by the roadside. This wasn’t bringing in enough income but certainly helped her to put food on the table for her kids, no matter how small.

Fast forward to her participation in the Zaron Widows’ party, Mrs. A woke up early that morning to make the 9am appointment. According to her, they got a beauty experience as they had a face beat by some of the best hands at Zaron.

Mrs. Oke Maduewesi who is the brain behind this awesome initiative was around to spend quality time with the widows and shared her story with them. She motivated and encouraged them, shared in their sorrows and consoled each and every one of them; letting them know that they are not alone in their struggle as widows.

As Mrs. A told her story, she said after all of that, they were given big hampers containing food items which we can see in the picture below, as well as a Zaron Kit.

Mrs. Maduewesi understands that these women need more as they need to be financially empowered beyond being motivated with words or giving them a relaxing experience which was why, prior to the day, the women had been told to submit a basic business plan asides the death certificate and the passport. The basic business plan we presume is to know what these women have planned out and how to help them. That help they got as Mrs. Maduewesi presented the widows with cheques of 200,000 Naira each.

Mrs. A went home after the full day event with so much joy in her heart, blessing the day she got this information and even more for sending Zaron to her aid. Despite being owed for 3 months and having left the money with the company, God restored what she was owed 4times over and even with extra.

The secret to running a successful business is in recognizing the needs of the people in your immediate environment and seeking ways to meet those needs with the available resources that you have. Zaron has gone over and beyond as the widows’ initiative is one of the many programs that we are aware that they do. There are very few fashion, beauty or lifestyle events where Zaron is not mentioned as a sponsor. They continue to give back in so many ways as though the company was set up sorely to help Nigerians.

It is for this reason that we call on all Nigerians, to continually patronise the brand in as many ways as we can. Discourage counterfeits by ensuring that every Zaron item that you purchase is from an authorized retailer and it is authentic. That way, you are indirectly assisting the needy in the society as Zaron has proved to be a brand that cares. This post was not in any way solicited for by the brand rather we reached out asking for images to back up our story which is why it has taken this long to even share the testimonies with you.

We will also love to encourage all to pass on vital information that they find on platforms that could help someone in need. Sharing by whatever means is Caring!