NGO charges international organisations, religious bodies, government at all levels to address challenges of widows

By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka

One of the notable Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT): the Takem Empowerment Initiatives (TEIs), that has been training and empowering the widows, the needy and the less privileged in the society, has slowed to the international and religious organisations to come to the rescue of widows all over the world.

Making the call after the recently marked 2023 International Widow’s Day (IWD), the president of the NGO, Chief (Mrs) Rachael Adewumi, who doubles as the woman leader, the FCT chapter of National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTs) has also drawn the attentions of world leaders, the rich, people of good will, among others to the plights of the widows.

The IWD was initially established by The Loomba Foundation to raise awareness of the issue faced by widows. It was later adopted by the United Nations and observed as a day of action to address the “poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows. Celebrated every year on June 23, it is a special day established by the United Nations (UN), dedicated to addressing the poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents.

Recalled that the theme of the one of this year 2023 was ‘Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’. Every year, the UN announces a new theme for the IWD to raise awareness about the challenges faced by widows. All the events hosted on the day are based on that year’s International Widows Day theme.

Hailing the theme of the 2023 event, as well as seeing reasons why widows should be assisted, Amb Rachael Adewumi therefore allegedly noted that at the death of their husbands, some widows were left to the mercy of God.

She said she has observed with dismay that some widows were not only abandoned to carter for themselves, children and shelter, but also that in some areas, obnoxious customs don’t give them access to their husbands’ properties; thus making them to end up suffering and unable to train and bring their children up in a proper way, for their future.

She pointed out that coming to the assistance of the widows and their children would go a long way to reduce to the barest minimum, the level of poverty globally.

Among the ways she suggested that the widows should be assisted, she went on, was by putting into a stop any law or custom that deny a widow and her children access to her husband and father’s properties respectively.

Another way, according to the NGO president, was by empowerment, in form of training them in different vocations and empowering them to start what they were trained on, as she has been doing for them, through her NGO, the TEIs. She also suggested of giving soft loans to those of them, who are into buying and selling and other similar businesses at little or no interest. The woman leader also suggested free education for their children, believing that eduction will go a long way, as one of the keys to success.

Should the location of the widows pose a problem to any organisation or government that wishes to assist them, she went on, such organisation or government should do so through a trustworthy and notable NGO that is accessible to the widows at the urban and rural areas.

Quoting from the Bible book of Psalm 68:5, which according to her says, “God is the father of fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy habitation, Dr Rachael Adewumi therefore advised the widows to always ensure that they and their children are close to God, which if done would go a long way for them and their children.