A day with widows

Many widows in the country and the world at large are confronted with a mirage of problems. In Nigeria in particular, the population of widows is steadily increasing because of the recent security challenges added with the effects of HIV/AIDS and worsened by inter-tribal crises, leaving these women have to cater for themselves and their […]

Many widows in the country and the world at large are confronted with a mirage of problems. In Nigeria in particular, the population of widows is steadily increasing because of the recent security challenges added with the effects of HIV/AIDS and worsened by inter-tribal crises, leaving these women have to cater for themselves and their families alone. Widows are still being subjected to harmful traditional practices in many parts of the country and this has heightened calls for legislation against it.
Acting Head of UN Women,  Lakshmi Puri in her speech  to mark this year’s widows day said “we recognize the hundreds of millions of women in the world who have endured exclusion from their communities and families, who have suffered the loss of their homes, their livelihoods, and their identities, who were subject to abuses all brought on by an event completely out of their control—the death of a husband, of their life partner.
“For so many women all over the world, and particularly in Africa and Asia, but also in Latin America, the loss of a husband is only the first of many traumas. The poverty they suffer is often made worse by little or no access to credit or other economic resources, and by illiteracy or lack of education. Without education and training, widows cannot support themselves or their families.”
Poverty not only has a woman’s face, it has also a widows’ face. An estimated 115 million widows currently live in poverty, and 81 million have suffered violence and physical abuse, some at the hands of their own family members.
We know that today there are more widows than ever before due to armed conflict, the AIDS pandemic, and the age difference between partners, with many young women being married off to much older men”
 Last Sunday, the International Widows Day, the Home Front met and interacted with some widows who came from different parts of the FCT  and surrounding villages to benefit from the empowerment programme of the Rock of Ages Empowerment Foundation, a non-governmental organization which caters for the needs and rights of widows and orphans in the FCT and other states.
The reporter observed a huge turnout of widows, and tell tale signs of lack and stress amongst many of them confirming statistics that widows are increasing by the day and most of them were young and in their middle ages.  Their story  was all synonymous, one of poverty, lack of money to eat, pay children fees, victimization and stigmatization by people , ejection from their houses nonpayment  or delay of payment of their late husband’s death benefits, subjection to harmful widowhood practices and.
The heavy down pour throughout the day did not stop them from coming from very far places just to have something to meet their needs .While some came  alone , others came in coordinated groups from different areas ranging from karshi
About 250 widows  received financial empowerment of 10, 000 cash each and  the other running into thousands received food items of two bags of 5kg rice each,  bread, semovita , wrappers and medical treatment .
Chairman, of the foundation, Ignatius Newman Ezeigbo called on Nigerians called on Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the International Widows Day to start helping widows around them no matter how little it is saying they need assistance.
 He said: “There are 245 million widows in the world yet their problems are often ignored. Widows are often women in the prime of life, young women who are left as sole carers for their children. As the HIV/AIDS epidemic and armed conflict continue to wreck havoc, widows are getting younger and facing tougher challenges. Many of these women face harsh discrimination and social exclusion on account of their marital status, compounded by the discrimination they already face on account of their gender.”
 “Nigerians should not just see widows and neglect them. They should extend their hand of blessings and giving to widows. Help widows around you and wherever you find them  no matter how small the assistance is. People see  widows as people to neglect, reject and abandon but that should nt be the case they should rather be celebrated.”
Ezeigbo who said he started caring for widows since 2007 by divine inspiration said the widows have never gathered on monthly basis without them having something to leave it. “God has always assisted us in making made provisions for them despite the fact that we don’t have any donor. When people support widows it helps eradicate poverty from their midst.”
The Home Front met with two widows who came from Gwarko to Gudu the venue of the empowerment event.
Mrs Rhoda David was jubilating about her 10, 000 gift saying she will pay her children’s  school fees and start a small business. She called on government to support them.
The other woman who simply wants to be known as Lydia said she sells akara and pap and will use the money to pay her children’s school fees and augument her business.
Mrs Chineneye Okuwa  came from Gwagwalada Area Council and came on the invitation of her sister who had benefited last year and used her own share of cash to set up a business and feed her family comfortably.
She said she had always lived in fear and worry over what she and her children will eat the next day but since coming to the foundation she can take care of her family  and her vegetable sale business has gotten a lift with the money she was empowered with. She encouraged other Nigerians to support  the foundation to help more widows.
Ude Nkiruka another widow came from Kubwa said through the empowerment, which she has benefited from regularly, she no longer feels depressed nor go out begging for food and assistance again.
She said: “I want to encourage widows to stop seeing themselves as suffering widows because they have a mighty husband who is greater than the one the lost which is God and who is willing to help them. People should stop maltreating widows , or treating them like rags .Widows are not witches or wizards , they should know that everybody on earth can die. Because when you love and care for a widow, God will favour and reward you.”
Puri said, “Together we must erase the stigma of widowhood, the barriers widows face to resources and economic opportunities to survive, and the high risk to widows of sexual abuse and exploitation. We must end the manipulation of inheritance laws to deprive widows of assets and entitlements on cultural, religious or social grounds.”
She said we must ensure that widows of all ages and their children are treated as equal human beings with equal human rights, including the right to shape their own futures and live lives with confidence and dignity
“Women’s empowerment and the protection of women’s rights are our greatest weapon to prevent discrimination and violence against women and girls. When women and girls who are widowed have opportunities, they can support themselves and their families. When they have the full protection of the law, they can claim their rights to land and property. When they have equal status in their families and their husbands’ families and society, they are treated as equal human beings, and not as an object of derision, shame, suspicion or pity,” she said.