PODA at Five: Charity Group Marks Milestone, Seeks ? N150m To Expand Rescue Mission
When the Prestigious Oduduwa Daughters Association (PODA) was founded in December 2020 by Princess Amb. Omolara Olarewaju PhD, few could have imagined how far the modest charity initiative would travel in just five years.
On December 20, 2025, the organisation marked its fifth anniversary with a fundraising and awards ceremony that celebrated not only milestones reached, but lives rewritten across Yorubaland.
Held under the theme “Five Years of Compassion in Action: Empowering the Vulnerable, Transforming Lives,” the event brought together traditional rulers, community leaders, partners, volunteers, and beneficiaries—many of whom are living testimonies of PODA’s growing impact.
A Vision Rooted in Service
PODA was established with a clear humanitarian mandate: to provide relief, empowerment, and hope to some of society’s most vulnerable groups—indigent widows, orphaned children, and street-connected youth.
According to the association’s leadership, PODA’s mission rests on three pillars: restoring dignity to widows through empowerment, nurturing the potential of orphaned children, and offering a second chance to street youth through rescue, rehabilitation, and vocational training.
Over the years, this vision has evolved into structured programmes spanning education, healthcare support, skills acquisition, and psychosocial care across the South-West states of Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, as well as Yoruba-speaking communities in Kwara and Kogi states.
Measured Impact Across Communities
In five years, PODA has directly empowered over 50 widows and continues to support about 200 widows three times yearly during Easter, Ramadan, and end-of-year festivities.
Through livelihood support and welfare interventions, several beneficiaries have achieved economic stability and improved quality of life.
Its Femmecare Outreach Programme has reached senior secondary school girls in rural communities across Yorubaland, promoting menstrual hygiene, education retention, and moral guidance, while distributing sanitary pads to support uninterrupted schooling.
PODA has also visited orphanage homes across nearly all Yoruba-speaking states, providing material support and planning structured sponsorship and mentorship schemes for indigent orphans.
In addition, the association has offered financial assistance to students at Obafemi Awolowo University, Polytechnic Ede, and secondary schools in Osun, Oyo, and Ogun States.
Rehabilitation and Second Chances
As part of its social reintegration efforts, PODA has visited the Juvenile Correctional Centre in Ikeja, Lagos, offering counselling, prayers, and donations of food and essential items.
According to volunteers, the visit elicited emotional responses from inmates, many of whom expressed remorse and a desire to reunite with their families.
N150m Rescue Mission Project
A major highlight of the anniversary was renewed fundraising for the PODA Rescue Mission Centre, a proposed shelter and vocational training facility for vulnerable girls and women.
The project site, located at Alakowe along Ilesa Road, Ile-Ife, was donated by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
While foundation work has begun, the association says N150 million is required to complete the six-building complex.
Support, Partnerships, and Future Plans
Although PODA has collaborated with groups such as Women Initiatives Foundation, Ile Oodua, and Women Inspiration Development Center, it noted the absence of sustained financial backing from corporate organisations and government agencies.
Looking ahead to 2026, the association plans to expand widow empowerment hubs, introduce agri-tech and digital skills training, and establish a scholarship endowment fund for orphaned children pursuing higher education and vocational training.
Commendations and Commitment
Goodwill messages at the event praised PODA’s consistency and impact. The association’s Patroness, Ambassador Evangelist Adekunbi Akin-Taylor, described PODA as a “divine call to service,” while Prince Abiodun Ola Olarewaju commended its role in restoring dignity to widows and the elderly.
As PODA enters its sixth year, its leadership says the focus remains on deepening impact, completing the rescue mission project, and extending support to thousands more vulnerable persons across Yorubaland.
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