Prof. Constance Awinpoka Akurugu, a
Senior Lecturer in Gender and Sociology, Feminist Scholar and Activist at the
Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies in Wa
Prof. Constance Awinpoka Akurugu, a
Senior Lecturer in Gender and Sociology, Feminist Scholar and Activist at the
Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies in Wa has appealed to government to create an endowment fund to reduce the burden widows who go through a lot of intimidation and financial trauma after loosing their husbands.
Speaking to the press after a public lecturer on the life history of a widow from Zuarungu – Zonno, a suburb of the Bolgatanga East District on the 2024 international widows’ day in Bolgatanga, on the theme “ the role of mothers in the education of the children: lessons from the life history of Nma Ayara Atampugbire”.
Prof Constance in her Public lecture described the Nma Ayara Atambugbire as a Heroine because she lost her father at her tender age but, later got married to her husband who also died very early when the children were very young and she went into selling of porridge and rearing of pigs to take care of her children education. Alhough there was family pressure to allow the children to follow cattle, she insisted the and had her children through school instead.
She narrated how it was difficult to get lenders just because she is a widow.
Prof. Constance lamented how most widows in Ghna still go through intimidation and some financial trauma after loosing their husbands as well as the struggle in the raising their children up.
For Prof. Constance, there is the need for government to create an endowment fund to support widows.
“I know that the district Assemblies are themselves resource scarce, but if we really commit to supporting widows take care of their children, they can creat an endowment fund which will provide resources for widows to be able to support their children to be able to go to school so that together we all as stakeholders will them to take care of their children so that the will become useful to the development of our society”.
MS. Fati Abigail Abdulai, Executive Director, Widows and Orphans Movement LBG (WOM) lamented on the available data at the Ghana National Household registry in 2018 and 2019 that indicated that over 57% of children (66,520, 42,218) not in school in the Upper East and Upper West regions of Ghana are boys, even though the data does not go further to ascertain the percentage of these children who are orphans or have a mother that is widowed. For her, the data is alarming, and all should be worried.
She appealed to the government to institute drastic measures towards rolling out and or implementing social protection policies to break the cyclical poverty these families experience.
Speaking to widows in Bolgatanga Mr. Eric Atambugbire, one of the sons of late Nma Ayara told press men that their mother became more exposed to hardship after loosing her husband, but she was determined, persevered and encouraged by her hard work and industriousness, sold porridge to take care of the needs of her children both at home and in school.
She fought so hard through the difficulties not considering her situation or status as a widow and a vulnerable woman, but saw herself as one who has a responsibility of making her children go through education successfully which is the surest way to get out of poverty and suffering.
While appreciating the suffering she went through with her husband and after her husband, Mr Eric appealed to widows not to give up in such situations, but rather keep fighting for the future of their children.
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya