One hundred and twenty widows from the Ho Municipality in Ghana’s Volta Region gathered recently to receive aid from the Three Sisters Angels Foundation. Each woman was handed a package containing half a piece of Holland wax cloth, kitchen napkins, perfume spray, and an undisclosed sum of cash. The event aimed to ease the financial and social pressures these women face after losing their husbands.
The reception was organised by the Ho-based humanitarian group, which has committed to running an annual programme to support widows in the area. The Foundation’s founder and president, Pearl Anyonam Abrompah-Cudjoe, told 3news the initiative was designed to help these women rebuild their lives while raising awareness about the challenges widows endure.
“Widows in some parts of Ghana, including the Volta Region, face difficult circumstances,” Abrompah-Cudjoe said. “They often experience neglect from their late husbands’ families and are sometimes accused of causing their husbands’ deaths.”
She described traditional rites that widows must endure in certain communities, including being forced to drink substances said to come from their deceased husbands’ bodies to prove innocence. Some widows are isolated, made to eat alone for months or even up to a year. Those who refuse these rituals risk being expelled from their late husbands’ families.
The Foundation’s president appealed to traditional leaders to reconsider these practices. “Losing a husband should never justify subjecting a woman to degrading or inhumane treatment,” she said.
Lydia Mulengi, a Foundation member and widow herself, praised the event as more than a distribution of goods. “It was an opportunity for the women to socialise with friends, both familiar and new, and relieve stress,” she said.
Mulengi advised the widows to form associations or organised groups to attract further support from individuals and organisations. She noted that assistance, especially in the form of start-up capital, could help them establish businesses and become economically active.
“I would not wish widowhood on any woman, particularly young women who find themselves in such a situation through no fault of their own,” Mulengi added, praying for ongoing protection and guidance for the widows.
One recipient, Victoria Adegah, expressed gratitude to Abrompah-Cudjoe and the Foundation. “I have not experienced such joy since the death of my husband,” she said. “Sharing a meal with others and receiving these items and cash was a memorable experience.” Adegah promised to inform other widows in her community about the Foundation’s work so they could also benefit.
The Three Sisters Angels Foundation’s efforts come amid ongoing concerns about the treatment of widows in parts of Ghana, where cultural practices often clash with human rights. The group’s annual reception in Ho adds a layer of social support for women navigating loss and societal pressure.
According to 3News.
