Filed by: Dorlintey Dari Moses
US-based Ghanaian philanthropist, Professor Joseph Ofori-Dankwa, has announced plans to help develop practical solutions to challenges confronting widows in the Sanuori Electoral Area in the Wa West District.
This follows an engagement with about 200 widows held in the Sanuori community as part of efforts to understand the ordeal widows go through. The engagement, which was facilitates by the Assemblyman for the area, Hon Claudius Dare Kuuyor, provided a platform for the widows to openly share their concerns and expectations.
Speaking during the interaction, Professor Ofori-Dankwa said the visit was aimed at listening to the widows firsthand and working together to find sustainable ways of alleviating their plight.According to him, engaging directly with the women would help ensure that interventions introduced are well targeted and impactful. He expressed confidence that the outcome of the dialogue would yield positive results for the widows and their families.
Professor Ofori-Dankwa, whose work focuses mainly on widows and orphans, disclosed plans to establish a Widows Association in the Sanuori community. He explained that such an association would empower the widows, strengthen their collective voice, and improve their access to support systems, thereby making their lives easier.
During the interaction, the widows raised several concerns, including the lack of resources to cater for their children’s education. They noted that this situation has forced some children into illegal mining activities while others, particularly the girls, are compelled to marry early or become pregnant at a tender age.
Other challenges highlighted included inadequate housing structures that expose them to hardship during the rainy season and general poverty affecting their livelihoods. An alternative means of surviving these challenges, they said, is charcoal burning which also poses enormous environmental challenge.
Responding to these concerns, Professor Ofori-Dankwa pledged support in the form of protective gear, such as gloves and Wellington boots, especially during the shea nut picking season to help protect the widows from dangers such as poisonous snake bites. He also promised to provide additional farming resources to improve their economic activities while a long-term plan for sustainable livelihood is fashioned for the widows.
The US-based Ghanaian appealed to individuals, organizations, and stakeholders to take the welfare of widows seriously and support initiatives aimed at improving their living conditions.
