AOWWF
Beneficiaries
The Foundation categorized orphans into three (3) broad groups. This is in accordance with the nature of sponsorship. These are: Category A: Total Sponsorship: Orphan who have no guardian or benefactor, howsoever,
to take charge of him/her. Such is offered total care in terms of accommodation,
feeding and schooling and skills acquisition.
Category B: Full Sponsorship: Orphan whose guardian/benefactor can only
provideaccommodation and feeding. Such is offered sponsorship for schooling
and skillsacquisition.
Category C: Training: Orphan or Widow whose challenge is the inability to access
skillsacquisition for self sustenance. Such are offered training on the available
skills acquisitionprogrammes, in addition to financial and moral support.
Vision
To be a source of hope to the vulnerable strata of society in accordance with the general principles of IslamMission
To empower orphans and widows through education, ethical teachings and skills acquisitionprogrammes for self-reliance and societal development
The Administrative Structure
The Arqam Orphans and Widows Welfare Foundation (AOWWF) was founded by the dynamic and erudite scholar, Sheikh Luqman Imam Abdullah, who has earned the patri-lineal title, Abu Yatama' (Father of Orphans) thereby. The project was conceived and founded and funded by him at thePage4 initial stage. This began with a simple offer of help to a single orphan in November, 2006. Subsequently, the number grew. This was in the form of periodic but steady offer of free scholarship to orphans to complete their Islamic and western education, as much as God Almighty capacitate him so to do. He formalized the initiative on 27th Ramadan, 1430 corresponding to 17th September, 2009, by constituting a 5-man committee saddled with the responsibility of proper documentation and organization of the orphans in his care.
The care of orphans brought with it its natural twin challenge, which is the need to cater for widows. This became quite necessary particularly in the case of those whose deceased husbands left little or no property with which either the widow or orphan, or both, as the case may be, could be adequately catered for. This was the reason for the inclusion of widows in the welfare programme. With the growing number of these categories of people in dire need of assistance, vis-à-vis the rising cost of social services, the need to involve other public spirited individuals to share in the highly rewarding Godly humanitarian service became necessary. Sheikh Abu Yatama, therefore, carefully appointed, under his chairmanship, a 9-man Board of Trustees (BoT), people whom he adjudged to have manifested sense of honesty, integrity, industry and responsibility. The profession of members of the BoT cut across academia, business and public service. The process of registration was initiated and Arqam Orphans and Widows Welfare Foundation (AOWWF) was certified fit. Thus, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) granted a Certificate of Incorporation, No. RC 61407, on 23rd May, 2013, to the Foundation as a non-governmental humanitarian organization in Nigeria.