International Widow’s Day 2021!

International Widows Day (#IWD) which was celebrated a few weeks ago with the theme, “Invisible Women, Invisible Problems” wasn’t celebrated in Imo State due to some unforeseen circumstances. We only had the chance to celebrate them yesterday.

This year, we grouped Widows from three organizations; The Armed forces Widows Association, Society for Widows and Orphans, and National Association for Widows, Widowers and Orphans, from all 27 Local Government Areas of Imo State and listened to them share their stories.

We heard some very heartbreaking stories of loss that cannot be replaced and the challenges they face at the mercy of relatives. Sometimes, we forget that the widows in our communities are pillars in the absence of fatherly valour.

The event which was organised through a collaboration between the Office of the First Lady of Imo State, Her Excellency, Barr. Mrs Chioma Uzodimma’s NGO, the GoodHope Flourish Foundation and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Vulnerable Groups, took place at the State Secretariat, Imo State. Several gifts and food items where distributed to celebrate the lives of well-lived men. In their honour, over 150 of us danced, merried and celebrated their lives.

My gratitude goes to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Vulnerable Groups, Lady Nkechinyere Ugwu and the Director General of GoodHope Flourish Foundation, Hon. Humphrey Ikeaka, for reassuring our widows that their welfare is one of the most important areas of our administration and I will continue to prioritize their needs through my office and NGO.

Also, to the leaders of these associations; the Leaders of the Widows Associations, Mrs. Chioma Nwaneri, of the National Association of Widows, Widowers and Orphans, and that of the Armed forces Widows, Mrs. Joy Moses Akunnaya, without their help this event would not have been has successful as it was. I say thank you for being resourceful throughout this celebration.

To this end, I salute the courage and resilience of widows, still grinding through the tough realities of lives, especially through this period.

Barr. (Mrs.) Chioma Uzodimma
First Lady, Imo State