By Francis Adewumi
International Widows Day is celebrated on June 23 worldwide recognizing and celebrating the resilience and contributions of widows worldwide.
The President and Founder of a non Governmental and a Charity Organization, Opeyemi David Falegan Foundation, Hon. Opeyemi David Falegan said to further increase the public’s understanding of the issue of widowhood and the daily challenges he decided to focus much widows issues in Ekiti.
Falegan who is also also known as “Oko Opo” through his media Aide, Comrade Adewumi Francis said the international Widows was established by the United Nations in 2010, to raises awareness about the challenges widows face worldwide and advocates for their rights and social inclusion.
According to Falegan, the celebration highlights widows’ economic, social, and cultural discrimination, promoting efforts to empower them through policy and community support worldwide
He promised to make widows welfare as priority in all his activities.
In his worlds, “Widowhood is a significant yet often overlooked gender issue that affects more than 258 million widows and their children worldwide”he explained.
He further to add that, widows face discrimination, harmful traditions, disinheritance, and loss of income, status, and basic needs after losing their partners.
ODF added that, without proper support, poverty often traps them and their children.
The Founder said despite being among the most marginalized demographics, widows remain invisible in contemporary aid and development programs.
Falegan said his charity organization focus in empowering the most vulnerable group of women today economically: widows and single mothers in Ekiti state.
Earlier he said the main barriers are disinheritance, harmful traditional practices, and lack of access to capital or employment.
“Groundbreaking work has shown that the violations endured by widows have a direct link to major global policy issues.These societal policy issues include poverty, poor health and nutrition, child marriage, and the inability of children to access education.
He frowned on the lackadaisical attitude of successive government in abandoning the Widows in the society.
He promised to contribute his best always to eradicate widows suffering in the society.