THE PLIGHT OF WIDOWS: Save the Mama Widow!!!!

Since 1972 when the Lord gave us a Ministry, we did not forget the Widows whose Husbands passed away and left them in unprecedented situations. Christian Widows being good in Prayer and Intercession have helped this Ministry grow more through their wailing and intercession to the Lord.

We have been helping Widows in different Churches and areas majorly in the poor rural areas for years as the Lord expanded our Ministry. This we did occasionally whenever the Lord provided!

Due to the HIV/ Aids Pandemic, Poverty, Illnesses and Political Violence, the number of Widows and Orphans increased sharply in this Region. We reached out to buy Food stuff and distribute to them, buy Clothes for them and their Children, Help with School Fees for their Children’s education and sometimes buy a Cow for one to keep and manage to get Milk for her own Children and sell some for income. The Widows live in dire conditions; in tiny Grass Thatched or Tin sheet Mud walled Houses struggling to make ends meet. With $1 dollars a day, they would be happy to have a meal on the table for her Children. A widow left by her Husband with many Children would be avoided by the community due to the bigger burden of raising them and sometimes the community can take the condition of such a Widow as bad omen hence ‘accursed’.

The suffering is focused on the practices that are oppressive and humiliating to women as a result of the death of the husband. Women in African society are meant to suffer stressful situations when the husband dies, this stressful situation causes African women to suffer a lot of emotional, physical, mental and spiritual problems. Health involves ability to function physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually and socially in an environment African widows do not enjoy the best of health due to pressure of conforming to widowhood practice. A lot of sanctions placed on widows by society make it difficult for women to express their viewpoint in widowhood.

In some other extreme areas, the practices widows are meant to pass through on the loose of the husband are, shaving of hair on the head, drinking of remains of bath water used to wash the husbands corpses, mourn her husband death for about three to twelve month depending on the ethnic group, right of inheritance, women do not have right to inherit land or property, widow are not allowed to bathe, clean her surrounding during mourning period, on rare cases once bath a day.

African widows, irrespective of their cultural, religious or ethnic groups, are among the most vulnerable and destitute women on the continent. Researchers have shown that widows in many African cultures are subjected to dehumanizing cultural and ritual practices passed off as mourning rites. Some are forced into remarriage unwillingly…..

Widows must undertake a requisite cleansing that entails a widow having unprotected sex with her husband’s brother or other relative, or with a professional village cleanser to remove the “impurities” that have been ascribed to her. Some are falsely accused, humiliated to the point of giving into any rituals and or manipulation by the Traditions and Cultures driven by Clan’s Men.

Widows and Orphans go through tough times and spend most of their good life time mourning, grieving and having regrets about why they were born into this World!!!

May our Good Lord enable us to more help the suffering Widows and save them from the degradation of value for them. Our African Traditions, Cultures and Customs do not favor Widows and this has been left to the Church to look for ways to save and help the Widows in their plight.

How should the church care for widows or those in need? Scripture clearly teaches God’s special care for widows and the poor and needy. Consider the following Old Testament verses:
Ways to Support a Recently Widowed Friend

– Find the right words.
– Be there.
– Bring food, but coordinate with others.
– Help out around the house.
– Offer to take the kids out.
– Get him or her out of the house.
– Start where you can, and remember that grieving takes time.
– Send a Gift to support the Widows

1 Timothy 5:3-16
He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows. God rules from his holy palace.

Isaiah 1:17

“You must not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict them in any way and they cry to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless.