First lady donates food items to 3 orphanages, IDPs to mark women's day

Mrs Buhari, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, presented the items to Al-Ummal Orphanage, Mother Theresa Children’s Home and Hope for Survival Orphanage.

She also presented food items to IDPs in Wassa IDPs camp in FCT.

The foods donated are bags of rice, cartons of biscuits, vegetable oil, palm oil, cartons of milk, and cartons of sugar among others.

She said the gesture would suupport the management of orphanages and IDPs to cater for their needs.

"We have the passion to remember those who are in need in a day like this. We are urging other Nigerians to have the spirit of carrying others along.’’

Mrs Buhari said that similar gesture would be extended to other homes in future as there were many orphanages across the country.

She said the children from orphanages could be future leaders of this country.

Aisha called for a global action to accelerate the attainment of gender parity through the empowerment of women.

She commended the founders of the homes for giving parental care to the children to make them better citizens.

The founders of the homes thanked Mrs Buhari for the gesture, adding that she was a true mother of the nation that had the will to carry everybody along.

However, the children also thanked the president’s wife for the gift, saying that God would bless her as she gave them a sense of belonging.

Those on the entourage are the wives of governors of Zamfara, Kebbi, Kogi and the former Deputy Governor of Plateau, Pauline Tallen.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the day is celebrated on March 8 every year.

The Women’s Day was first observed on February 28, 1909 in New York; organised by the Socialist Party of America in remembrance of the 1908 strike of the international ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union.

It was modified to the present International Women's Day by the United Nations to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women and generate more awareness everywhere in the world.