By Ebunoluwa Sessou

As part of efforts to create awareness about widows’ issues and advocate for a better life for them, the International Women’s Society of Nigeria, IWS Nigeria has demanded better facilities and opportunities for widows as a way of uplifting them and making them self-sufficient.

Speaking at the event organized by IWS, in commemoration of the 2023 International Widows Day, which takes place every June 23, the IWS Nigeria President, Mrs Izabella Abia-Okon, stated that International Widows Day is significant because it raises awareness about widows’ issues and advocates for better facilities and opportunities for them.

Adding that, the day was set aside to acknowledge the struggles of widowed women and demand better facilities for them.

According to her, “Widows face more challenges than one can think of. This is why Widows Day is established to empower all widows by demanding better facilities and opportunities for them.

“It advocates for the upliftment of women and making them self-sufficient.

International Widows Day also addresses the regressive mentality of people regarding women and their place in the society:, she said.

With the theme, ‘IWS DigitALL Widows’, Abia-Okon commended the United Nations for their conscious efforts at providing sustainable succour with their designated dates for the upliftment of humanity.

“The history of International Widows Day was established by the Loomba Foundation to commemorate the day on which Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba became a widow.

“The idea behind starting this day was to empower widows worldwide, who often struggle to make ends meet and fit in society post the death of their husbands.

International Widows Day also commemorates the day on which the mother of Lord Loomba became a widow”, she added.

According to the latest statistics 258 Million Widows and 585 Million children need support.

Today IWS wants to make widows go digitAll. To maximize opportunities with innovation and technology. Ensuring that no one is left behind. Hence, empowering over 2000 widows in their businesses.

Technology makes it easier to connect to the world. And you can begin to produce goods that are marketable worldwide.

In her speech delivered by Trustee, IWS Nigeria, Mrs Gbemi Shasore, the Chairperson, Widows Trust Fund, Adebanke Adeola called for all involved to set the stage for innovation and technology as the launch pad for the future of transformative change and sustainability.

“At IWS we immediately saw it as a unique opportunity to extend it to you who can and will embrace the kind of emancipation that will yield bigger harvests of empowerment. Creating better avenues while still empowering you in the traditional ways”, she said.

“The IWS Widows Trust Fund was founded in 1998 by the then President, Mrs Ijeoma Asala of blessed memory. IWS empowered widows twice a year in January with our Widows New Year Feast ( WINYEF) and International Widows Day, June 23.

“This year we have trained widows on how to use their phones to empower their businesses, given palliatives to almost 300 widows and endowed some with business support infrastructure”, she said.