Imphal: Retired Lieutenant Colonel L Manongba has embarked on a mission to support widows and children affected by the ethnic violence in Manipur, empowering them with sustainable livelihoods and access to education.
His remarkable efforts were recognized with the Veteran Achiever Award, conferred by Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi at the Army Day Parade in Pune this January.
Through his initiative Wings of Hope, Lt Col Manongba has helped 35 widows start small enterprises and funded the education of 60 children who lost their fathers in the ongoing conflict.
Since May 2023, Manipur has been grappling with severe ethnic violence, which has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands.
“Aiming to rebuild lives and restore hope, Wings of Hope is filling critical gaps where government assistance may not reach,” Manongba told PTI. A 1979 graduate of the National Defence Academy, he initially dedicated himself to the welfare of ex-servicemen in Manipur after retiring from the Army.
His work in the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) allowed him to create a strong network of veterans in the state’s difficult terrain, offering them essential support.
However, the violence that erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities in 2023 disrupted these efforts. Recognizing the dire situation of displaced families, he and his colleagues formally launched Wings of Hope to provide targeted assistance.
Their field visits to relief camps, where over 30,000 people are living in distress, revealed that many widows and students faced severe financial hardship.
To address these challenges, Wings of Hope launched two major initiatives: ensuring children’s education and enabling widows to become financially independent.
With financial backing from his fellow Army officers, batchmates, and well-wishers, the organization now provides Rs 95,000 monthly to support 60 students at risk of dropping out.
Meanwhile, 35 widows have received soft loans to establish small businesses, ranging from poultry farming to silk weaving.
One widow was given Rs 30,000 to start a poultry business. Within 45 days, she raised 300 chicks, generating a profit of Rs 50,000.
Another beneficiary used financial aid to launch a muga silk weaving enterprise. Groups of widows in relief camps have also started making handmade crafts, crochet dolls, and incense sticks, which are now being sold in flea markets in Kolkata and other cities, offering them a sustainable income.
Lt Col Manongba’s Wings of Hope initiative is bringing meaningful change to the lives of Manipur’s conflict-affected families, demonstrating that small acts of support can create lasting impact.
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