When A Bishop Gives Back
Mary Ekah Over 150 lucky women benefited as first set of the gesture of the Founder and General Overseer of Christ Royal Family International Church, Bishop (Dr.) Tom Samson. The Bishop recently embarked on a project aimed at alleviating poverty among women at Royal City College of Education premises in Iyesin Otta, Ogun State.
The highly successful and enigmatic preacher is a giver; little wonder God never seized blessing him. The founder of Royal City College of Education and Monarch University took his philanthropy to another level with his Tom Samson Foundation by embarking on a hugely successful women empowerment programme in his 100 hectares Royal City, Iyesin Otta. The women were taken on different vocational training that include catering, tie and dye, weaving, bead making, make-ups and decoration.
The beneficiaries undergo a seven hours training in different vocation of their choice before being giving financial assistance and certificates to start their own business.
Samson, took his time to narrate his little beginning, how he came to Lagos 23-years ago without having where to stay. “My friend in the University who had promised to accommodate me when I come to Lagos could not help me because his parents didn’t support him bringing somebody into the house. So, I had to result to sleeping on the passage until I meet my helper. So, if God has blessed me today beyond my imagination I should be able to bless people around me.”
Speaking on the reason for empowering the women, Bishop Samson said “part of the mandate given to me by God is setting captives free and teaching them to reign over life circumstance. I believe with this little we have done for these women, so many families would be touched and lifted. We have over 150 family represented here today and we have taught them on different vocations and also empower them financially to help them start up what they have learnt. We are not going to stop here. This is going to continue in other communities where we have our churches and schools for now, after which we will continue to spread the empowerment to other neighbouring communities.
“I believe when you live in a community and you have the resources to help others who need help you should not hesitate to do so. This women are mostly housewives, with what we have done, we believe they can stay in their house and make all these and sale to students and neighbours around them and help their husband perform some financial duties or the other at home. A women must not wait for her husband to provide all that they need to survive,” he said.
On the mechanize put in place to make sure this program doesn’t not result to waste of time, resource and personnel, Bishop said “we have their details with us and from time to time, we will check on them to make sure they make use of the knowledge they have learnt here and make use of the little money given to them.”
Some of the beneficiary shares their delight at what the clergyman is doing through Tom Samson Foundation. Mrs. Itanyan said, “I am very happy and delighted with the opportunity Bishop Samson has given me. I pray the Almighty God continue to bless and enrich him so, we promise with the little he has done for us women in the community, we will try to be good ambassador out there.Mrs. Yemi Mohammed also thank the man of God for his knowledge and thoughtfulness toward women in Iyesi Otta community, “we appreciate what Bishop Samson is doing in our lives, I pray for God to raise more men like him in this community so that they can help us, May the good God continue to bless, guide and protect him everyday of his life”
Recall, that only recently the quintessential inspirational preacher sunk boreholes to different communities, gave out, cars and other items as part of his reaching and CSR programs. Meanwhile, the Bishop is set to pull down the stronghold of devil in Abuja and Port Harcourt in the coming day with his 4-day programme tagged: “Signature of Greatness”.