Two women groups of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star (BCS), Universal Women’s Fellowship (UWF) and Mansion of Blessedness (MOB), have awarded one-year scholarships to 250 pupils and students from nursery, primary and secondary schools.
The groups also provided training and welfare support to 37 women as part of efforts to improve their livelihoods and economic wellbeing.
The initiatives were unveiled during a weeklong tripartite celebration organised by the International President of UWF, Matriarch Christ Shepherd Mmama Obele, and the head of MOB, Matriarch Christ Shepherd Glory Oho.
The events, held from September 28 to October 3, 2026, included the Holy Mother’s Glorification, its 25th anniversary celebration and the consecration of a new set of female priests known as Eminences.
Chairman of the international organising committee, MCS Rita Godwin Ibanga said 13 women received training in tailoring, poultry and hairdressing and were provided with starter packs to begin their businesses.
She said 10 elderly women also received cash welfare packages, while another 10 women involved in the sale of fried wheat and soya beans, locally known as “chunks,” were given financial support to expand and sustain their businesses.
Ibanga said two women, Adaku Eminike and Oluchi Nwachukwu, also donated N100,000 and a furnished apartment to an elderly homeless woman who had been living on the streets of Calabar.
She said the gesture was part of the groups’ efforts to identify with vulnerable women and children and provide practical support to improve their living conditions.
Another highlight of the celebration was a craft competition, which produced four winners: Victoria Enang, Josephine Frank, Emem Uzoka and Unwana Sunday.
Also, a cosmetic scientist and Principal of Imani Aesthetic and Laser Institute, Dr Imani Silas, offered to train five girls free of charge in beauty therapy and skincare business.
Silas said the training would provide the beneficiaries with foundational skills to build careers in the beauty, skincare and aesthetics industry and enable them to earn income with relatively low start-up capital.
She described the initiative as an empowerment programme aimed at equipping the girls with practical skills that could help them secure employment or establish their own businesses and achieve financial independence.
Coordinator of the celebration, MCS Winifred Okafor said the initiative of empowerments was in continuation of the legacy of Holy Mother Elizabeth Esu Olumba Obu.
She disclosed that the Mother was the brain behind most humanitarian and infrastructural initiatives within BCS as well as neighbouring communities.
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