By Ovat Abeng
Fidelity Bank PLC has empowers 1950 Anambra citizens with vocational tools for women and solar powered school bags for students to ease hardship and strengthen educational system in the state.
The empowerment programme took place at the banquet hall, light house Awka on Saturday, June 13th, 2026.
The Paradise News gathered that the empowerment was done in partnership with the Nonye Soludo Healthy Living Initiative, a non-governmental organization owned by the governor’s wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo.
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Declaring the programme open, Mrs Soludo, said the gesture aimed in empowering communities and transforming lives in Anambra State and beyond.
According to her, “We gather, today, not merely to distribute items or celebrate another social impact initiative, but to reaffirm a simple truth: when we invest in people, we invest in the future. Every woman supported, every child supported and every family assisted represents a step towards building a stronger, healthier and more prosperous Anambra State. It is this belief that brings us together today under this remarkable partnership between Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo and Fidelity Bank Plc.
“Today, through the Give Her Power Initiative, 100 women will receive sewing machines while another 100 women will receive grinding machines to strengthen their livelihoods and economic independence.
“Through the Lighting Young Minds Initiative, 250 schoolchildren will receive solar-powered school bags to support learning and inspire academic excellence.
“In addition, 1,500 persons will benefit from our Food Bank Packs. In all, 1,950 beneficiaries will be directly touched by this intervention, and that is indeed a cause for celebration.
“What makes today’s event even more significant is that it reflects the power of partnership and shared responsibility.
” Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo is a non-governmental movement founded on the conviction that healthy people build healthy communities, and healthy communities build prosperous societies.
“As an NGO, we do not receive government funding for our programmes and interventions. Our work is sustained through goodwill, strategic collaborations and the support of organizations and individuals who share our passion for improving lives.
“This is why partnerships such as the one we celebrate today are not only valuable but essential.
“They enable us to reach more people, expand our interventions and deliver meaningful solutions to the challenges facing our communities. Our dreams are big, but our resources are quite insufficient yet, the confidence that our partners place in us is built on the impact our programmes have continued to make across Anambra State.
“Through the Healthy Living Pad Bank Programme, which currently serves schoolgirls in the 350 schools where our Healthy Living School Clubs operate, we have distributed over 350,000 sanitary pads in the last two years, helping thousands of girls manage their menstrual health with dignity, confidence and improved school attendance.
“Through the Healthy Living Seed Packs Programme, we have distributed more than 25,000 packs of free hybrid non-GMO seeds to households, schools and communities, reviving home gardening, encouraging organic food consumption, improving household nutrition and creating opportunities for small-scale agricultural enterprise.
“Our Nonye’s Healthy Living Pap Initiative has become one of the state’s most impactful nutrition interventions, with over 25,000 packs distributed through the 326 Primary Health Centres across Anambra State, contributing to a historical 57 percent reduction in Anambra’s malnutrition shortfall.
“Similarly, our Healthy Living Saturday Workouts, which now hold across all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state, have inspired a growing movement of healthy living advocates who are championing fitness, wellness and preventive healthcare within their communities.
“These interventions continue to demonstrate that sustainable transformation becomes possible when people are equipped with the right knowledge, support and opportunities.
“It is therefore with profound gratitude that I commend Fidelity Bank Plc for identifying with this vision and choosing to invest in the wellbeing of our people. Beyond the empowerment items being distributed today, Fidelity Bank is investing in human potential, family stability and community development.
“This partnership demonstrates the important role that socially responsible organizations can play in advancing sustainable development and improving the quality of life of the people they serve.
“We are grateful for this support, for your confidence in our mission, and for your commitment to touching lives where it matters most. Indeed, you keep your word. I also appeal to you to continue identifying areas within our programmes where we can work together to achieve even greater impact. Whether in women’s empowerment, agro support, education, nutrition, youth development, environmental sustainability or preventive healthcare, there remain countless opportunities to transform lives through strategic collaboration.
To all our beneficiaries, I congratulate you.The items you receive today are more than material support; they are tools of opportunity, symbols of hope and investments in your future. I encourage you to make good use of them, to grow from them and to become ambassadors of positive change in your homes and communities.
“Together, through partnership, compassion and shared purpose, we can continue to build a healthier, stronger and more prosperous Anambra State and Nigeria, Mrs Soludo advocated.
In her speech, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment at supporting vulnerable families, promoting education, and enhancing women’s economic participation.
She noted that Anambra State is the first beneficiary of the unique convergence of the Fidelity Food Bank Initiative, Lighting Young Minds Programme, and Give Her Power Initiative.
According to her, Fidelity Bank’s mission extends beyond providing financial services, emphasizing that the institution is dedicated to helping individuals realize their aspirations, overcome challenges, and build better lives.
“Our purpose goes beyond accounts, transactions, and banking services. We believe that when communities thrive, businesses thrive; when families prosper, societies become stronger; and when people are empowered, possibilities become endless. This belief continues to drive our commitment to creating meaningful and lasting social impact,” she said.
Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe explained further that through the Fidelity Food Bank Initiative, the bank has continued to provide essential food support to vulnerable households across Nigeria, particularly at a time when many families are facing economic challenges.
She stressed that access to food is a fundamental human need and that supporting struggling families helps restore dignity, strengthen resilience, and promote social inclusion, adding that the bank also seek to improve learning opportunities for children through the distribution of solar-powered school bags.
The beneficiaries while appreciating the wife of the governor, Mrs Soludo and the management of Fidelity Bank for the kind gesture, promised to utilize the items judiciously.
The event also featured a donation of N25 million by the bank to support the governor’s wife Healthy Living Initiative.
