"I Care," the pet project of Mrs Roli Sheila Uduaghan, wife of Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Saturday empowered at least 92 widows in six local government areas of the state with 92 canoes.

The local government areas include Bomadi, Warri North, Warri South, Burutu, Warri South-West and Patani. Speaking during the presentation of the canoes at Ogbuwague Secondary School, Warri, Mrs Uduaghan charged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the canoes and warned them against diverting the canoes for other use.

She stated that "I Care" was committed to the well-being of women, particularly widows in the state, adding that the canoe empowerment project was a continuous one and said "those who did not benefit now will benefit later. "You know, this is not the first one and some persons benefited in the first phase.

Today, others are benefiting and tomorrow some others will also benefit. Therefore, we should be patient and gradually, God helping us, it will get to every one of us.

" Mrs Uduaghan noted that the time for squandering money was over and urged privileged persons in the state to identify with her "I Care" programme by donating generously to the project and thanked the state Oil Producing Area Development Commission, DESOPADEC, and the Ode Itsekiri Community Development Committee, CDC for donating canoes for the group. According to her, the "I Care" program was being assisted by kind hearted persons in the society, stressing that the idea behind the "I Care" project was to make life more meaningful for the women folk in the state.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Dombra Tongri thanked Mrs Roli Uduaghan for empowering widows in the state, saying that the canoe empowerment would go a long way to build on the economic status of the windows.

Tongri noted that widows in the recent past were not being empowered until recent times when the Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan's administration came on board and hailed the vision of Mrs Roli Uduaghan to form the "I Care" program.

While praying that God should continually endowed Mrs Roli Uduaghan with more wisdom, she urged her not to relent in her effort to better the lots of women in the state.