…Empowers 103 with equipment
From: Moshood Adebayo
Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, has lamented the plights of widows in the country, calling for concerted efforts among individuals and corporate bodies to life them up.
She spoke during an empowerment programme organised by her pet project, Hope For Women in Nigeria Initiative ((HOFOWEM,) in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to her, the circumstances, women usually found themselves after losing their darling husbands are angonising, worrisome and unbearable.
Her words:” The life of a young widow is never an enviable one, once widowed, women in many countries, including Nigeria often confront a denial of inheritance, degrading and life threatening mourning and burial rites and other forms of widow abuse.
She added:” the children of widows are often affected, both emotionally and economically. Widowed mothers, now supporting their families alone, are forced to withdraw children from school and to rely on their labour”.
According to her, the daughters of widows may suffer multiple deprivations, increasing their vulnerability to abuse and others.
Ambode said the overall objective of HOFOWEM is to ensure that the women are able to live happily, depending more on themselves, upon the departure of their husbands.
She assured that HOFOWEM would continue to work for the over riding interest of the vulnerable women
During the ceremony, widows were empowered with equipment ranging from deep freezers, refrigerators, generators, whipping machines, industrial gas cookers, professional cameras, photo copies, grinding machines, bag-sewing machines, oven, embroidery machines among others.