Foundation fetes widows
This year’s International Widow's Day (IWD) has been observed with a call on women to be strong and work hard to be financially independent as they prepare for life’s eventualities.
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A private development consultant, Mrs Mary Tobbin Osei, made the call when she stated that women “are able to do all things and, therefore, they should work hard to be financially independent so that when their husbands pass away, they will not suffer in the hands of family members.”
International Women’s Day
Mrs Osei made this call at the International Widow's Day organised by the Samuel Amoh Tobbin Foundation (SATF), formerly the Tobinco Foundation, in Accra last Friday.
The celebration was on the theme: "Life as a Widow" and it brought together widows, nurses and psychologists.
As part of the celebration, the SATF, which is committed to humanitarian activities, organised a health screening and a dancing competition, fed the widows and distributed souvenirs to them as a way of sharing in their pain.
The IWD is celebrated globally to acknowledge widows and also address the challenges they go through as they are often confronted with issues such as the denial of inheritance and land rights, degrading and life-threatening mourning and other forms of widow abuse by family members.
Financial Independent
Commenting on the theme, Mrs Osei advised women to invest so that they could be financially independent in order to prepare for any eventuality.
She indicated that it was never easy to be a widow, but asked them not to mourn for the rest of their lives, noting that “if you are a widow, it does not mean life has come to an end; this is the time to take stock of your life and prepare for a better future.”
She mentioned that it was possible for any woman to become a widow and, therefore, they should be up and doing to save their lives from family humiliation.
“Husbands, we love you; we encourage you to take life insurance for your wives so that when you are no more your wives will not suffer the pain of life,” she noted.
Beneficiaries
Mrs Osei, who doubles as the Board Chair of the foundation, stressed that the welfare of widows was important to the SATF, so it had done a lot to seek for their welfare but as individual they should work hard to better themselves.
Outlining some of the packages enjoyed by widows of the foundation, she said “300 widows enjoy monthly allowances. Donations are made to them every year. Others have been given capital to start businesses. Scholarship packages have been given to their children and some have been enrolled in vocational training.”
She also urged the widows to put the financial support they were given monthly to good use and avoid depending solely on society for their needs.
The Executive Director of SATF, Mrs Millicent Akoto, said they organised the various activities to give widows reason to smile and feel a part of the society and added that the donation was made because the Chairman of the Tobbinco Group of Companies, Mr Samuel Amoh Tobbin, had compassion for the vulnerable.
Mrs Akoto said Mr Tobbin had been catering for widows and the vulnerable for the past 15 years but the foundation was established just two years ago to formalise its activities.