The Okhahlamba Local Municipality, in partnership with the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, Ukhahlamba Circuit 820, recently hosted a successful Widows Celebration event at the Bergville Sports Complex which saw over 500 women gathering to offer each other support.
The theme of the event was “Restoring the Dignity of a Widow” and a number of stakeholders participated in the event. Some of these included governmental departments, NPOs, the Master of the High Court and the South African Human Rights Commission. Part of the event entailed testimonials from a number of widows who shared some of the struggles and challenges that they faced after losing their spouses.
The programme saw a number of key informative areas wherein messages of support and encouragement were offered. These included: What does the Bible say about a widow; Traditions, cultures and widows; Strengthening the Mental Health of a Widow; Human Rights and Widows; Master of the High Court: Processes following the Death of a Spouse; Moral Regeneration and NPO support.
After being approached by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa to host an event celebrating widows, the municipality agreed to enter into a partnership. The premise of the event was to establish a psychosocial support system for the widows who face a multitude of challenges across the community.
“It is an empowerment programme that we hope will encourage widows to self-organise with the long-term goal of establishing a forum for ongoing support. In essence, this event was a platform for being a conversation and relationship starter, hoping to build meaningful, impactful relationships between widows who need psychosocial support, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, governmental departments, NPOs and the municipality.”
