Helping humanity keeps me moving – Dr Patricia Iwelunmor

Dr.(Mrs.)Patricia Iwelunmor possesses a rare passion for helping indigent persons.  She retired voluntarily in 2008 from the teaching profession after 34  years of service. She has since 1997, used her limited resources to cater for the needs of teenage girls and boys, indigent motorcyclists and widows in  Amuwo-Odofin in Lagos State and her hometown, Onitsha-Ugbo in Delta State where she donated computer sets to its public schools in 2007. All these she has been carrying out through her NGO, Morning Star Foundation.
Recently, no fewer than 60 men and women benefitted from a free skills acquisition exercise put together by Morning Star Foundation in Lagos. She spoke with Vista Woman on the foundation and her life.     Excerpts:
How it all started
Things were bad last year because I lost my husband. And before I lost him, I was seriously ill to the point that I was  flown abroad for treatment. By the special grace of God, I’ve gone over the whole agony, and I am asking God to sustain me so I will be able to continue that which I have started with him- Morning Star Foundation.
I actually started the NGO in 1997 by working with school children, teenagers in particular, enlightening them on the dangers of pre-marital sex. As a teacher, I was vexed by the fact that some of them had to drop out from school due to unwanted pregnancy.
That was actually why I started Morning Star Foundation. Hence, we were able to gather together many of such teenage girls, and then for the ones who were academically sound, we sent them back to school. Those who were not academically sound were given vocational skills education in fashion designing, catering, interior decoration, etc. I’m happy to say these ladies are doing fine today.  Even the ones who decided to further their education have graduated and are now professional women. Majority of them are also happily married.
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