There are different kinds of generosity. The kind we practise in the moment – a donation when a story moves us, a contribution when a friend shares a cause – matters and is needed. But there is another kind of generosity, more deliberate and more lasting, that most people never think about.
It is the generosity we plan. The generosity that outlasts us. Legacy giving – including a charity in your will – is the most impactful thing most people will ever do with their wealth. And it requires far less than most people assume.
What Is Legacy Giving?
Legacy giving means specifying in your legal will that a portion of your estate – money, property, or investments – be given to a charitable organisation after your death.
It does not mean giving away everything. The vast majority of legacy donors leave the bulk of their estate to family and designate a small percentage – often between five and ten percent – to charitable causes. Even this small percentage, across many donors, creates an enormous and sustained pool of funding for charitable work.
Why Nigerian Widows Need Legacy Funding
Most donations fund immediate needs: food, emergency support, current school fees. These are vital. But the longest-lasting impact comes from programmes that take time to develop and require multi-year commitment: widow empowerment centres, permanent legal aid programmes, long-term education scholarships.
Legacy gifts allow the Uchegbu People Empowerment Foundation to plan and commit to this kind of long-term work. They are the difference between a foundation that responds to crises and one that prevents them.
What Your Legacy Gift Could Fund
- A named scholarship fund providing annual school fee support to widows’ children in perpetuity
- A widow empowerment centre in your home state, providing skills training and legal aid to hundreds of women per year
- A permanent legal aid fund ensuring no Nigerian widow faces property seizure without representation
- An endowment allowing us to plan multi-year programmes with confidence
How to Include Uchegbu Foundation in Your Will
Including a charity in your will is legally straightforward in Nigeria. You simply instruct your solicitor to add a clause specifying the name of the organisation, the nature of the bequest, and any specific instructions about how the gift should be used. We are happy to provide our legal details and a draft bequest clause on request.
“The measure of a life is not what we accumulated. It is what we left behind that kept doing good when we were gone.”
Create your legacy today – contact us at www.widowsfoundation.com/donate/ to discuss planned giving.
