I feel fulfilled giving back to society —Empress Njamah
Controversial Nollywood diva Empress Njamah, has joined the list of celebrities who do not think of themselves only but ha...
https://newshelmng.blogspot.com/2015/03/i-feel-fulfilled-giving-back-to-society.html
Controversial
Nollywood diva Empress Njamah, has joined the list of celebrities who
do not think of themselves only but have found reasons to give back to
society.
The
screen diva has in recent times indulged in humanitarian activities in
the nation’s capital, Abuja, staging not less than eight philanthropic
activities annually to put smiles on the faces of the down-trodden.
In
this interview, she opens up on how she spent last Valentine with the
less privileged, her foundation and philanthropic lifestyle.
How old is Empress Njamah Foundation and what has kept it going?
The Foundation is nine years old and I must say its the “God” factor that has kept it going not me.
How did it come about?
It was inspired by the overwhelming spate of child neglect. I was moved
to do something, to at least start that would give these children that
tiny ray of hope and I still intend to do more with the help of the
Almighty.
How many times do you hang out with the less privileged in a year?
It is not easy staging all the party but I can only thank God for being
faithful. Every year, the House of Empress Foundation organises nothing
less than eight parties.
I stage a party during Valentine to express my love to them, I stage
another at Easter, on Democracy and Independence Days, Christmas and of
course I do celebrate my birthday with them. I stage all these parties
not because I just want to throw money around but to make them know they
are loved and therefore should not feel bad about themselves.
Tell us about your last Valentine party…
On February 14th, as a way of expressing my love, I paid a courtesy
visit to Garki Hospital where I distributed gift bags amongst the
children and other patients in the wards. I also visited some of the
homes run by House Of Empress Foundation: “Hope for Survival” and
“Christ Foundation Orphanage” to mention but few.
What has been the challenge so far?
Well, I must say it’s been really turbulent but God is faithful and will
always be. At the same time, I do not see challenges; I only see
opportunities to make things better.
Easter is around the corner, what are your plans for the less privileged this time?
The same thing I have done all these years. I will not only provide for
their basic and educational needs but will also organise a program where
I’ll invite music artistes and some of my colleagues in the movie
industry to come have fun with the kids. It will be a full day of fun as
there will also be lots of food and drinks.
How do you raise funds for your humanitarian activities?
It’s been easy though. Like I said earlier, The “God” factor helps me
miraculously weather the storms. It’s part of how I pay my tithe. I have
never been funded by a single soul, government or friend; it has been
my sweat all the way and the House of Empress has been supportive too.
How do you feel each time you party with these children?
I feel fulfilled as a person because growing as a child in church, I was
taught to always help those in need because my giving could bring about
that ray of hope that may have been dashed, thereby bringing God’s
blessings. I celebrate them all the time not just on my birthday; the
foundation celebrates with the kids every month. I’m always happy to be
with them becasue they feel me with loads of joy and happiness which
words can’t explain.
What are the major side attractions you give to these children?
Dish out gifts to them and continuously inducing that positive mentality
into them. We have a lot of things we also do that makes them happy. We
have what we call The Workshop which
introduces them to interesting things and keeps them busy. These
include art and craft/matting/moulding/drawings and more, and I pay
people who come to train them.
The girls learn catering and so many other things. Sometimes, I pick the
best performing among them and give them a treat like seeing
movies/outing/dinners and many more.
Tell us more about “House of Empress”?
Just like a house with many rooms, HOE is a firm with many departments,
from the clothesline to the multi-purpose unisex saloon to the events
planning section and also interior decoration section. We are unisex and
everything is under one umbrella.
What inspired it?
Like I said, the God factor. Everything happens for a reason. I rarely
wear what’s in fashion but I people have always relied on me for fashion
ideas. I soon began to love to dress people. Here I am doing it and
till date I dress up people for events and many more.