RAKOD Widows Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to the welfare of widows in Ghana has organized a special Mothers’ Day event for some widows from across the country.
The day was marked by the Foundation to put smiles onto the faces of mothers and widows, giving them the sense of belonging, love and affection which most of them might have missed sometime in their lives.
Addressing the Widows at the event, the Founder of RAKOD Widows Foundation, Randy Danquah indicated that the idea of meeting the widows on the day was to party with them and make them happy.
According to him, with the Foundation’s vision in mind, it would be inappropriate to celebrate the day, Mothers’ Day, without recognizing the roles women, including widows play in the lives of an individual.
“As you are aware, our vision is to assist widows through our support programs in order to make life more meaningful for them. And this is what we are set to achieve, by the help of God,” he said.
He explained that Rakod Widows Foundation (NGO) is a non-profit organization, an initiative developed with the aim of helping organizations to reach their targets by facilitating the widows and less
privilege people across the country, Ghana and beyond.
“Our primary focus is by facilitating an intermediary role between organizations and communities. The organization is of interest
on helping communities especially the widows and the less privilege by building self-help minded among them,” he said.
According to him, Women find themselves degraded in society because they are women and Widows are especially inauspicious who are considered to be bad luck to their families or even labelled a witch in some communities.
“Harmful traditional and cultural prac-tices against widows are humiliating. The widow has no rights, no voice and without support from her family or the community, life can be colourless, constrained and brutal,” he lamented.
Randy Danquah also promised the widows of the Foundation’s resolve to establish a soap factory within the Togome community solely for the widows.
He said the proceeds and the factory management will inure to the benefit of all widows who are registered under the foundation and that there are big plans ahead for the widows.
He used the opportunity to wish all mothers and widows especially a Happy Mothers’ Day.
He also appealed to like-minded organizations, NGOs, philanthropists, foreign organizations to assist RAKOD Foundation to be able to reach out to more widows and create a better society for them.
Donations and assistance are welcome: Call +233 266 776 858
The day was also used to educate the widows on the importance of savings.
The National Coordinator of RAKOD Foundation, Eric Adu Amos who took the widows through some of the reasons why they must save, said we save, basically, because we can’t predict the future.
“If we could, we would know precisely how much money we would need for the things that we want and need in the future. But because we can’t do this, the need to save money for the future is vital,” he said.
According to Eric Adu Amos saving in very important since it cushions one in emergency situations, Retirement, health needs, Volatility of Social Security, Education of their children.
He mentioned that without money put away in savings and/or investments, one may open him or herself up to other risks.
“For example, not having enough money to pay for emergency dental care may force you into taking a loan that your savings might otherwise have covered.”
Mother’s Day is observed the second Sunday in May. It is a time to honor mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers for their contribution to family and society.
As part of its activities to put smiles on the faces of widows across the country, RAKOD Foundation on that day, drawn widows from Togome Traditional Area of the Volta Region, Asamanksese, Aburi Community, Akyem Osino, Akyem Saman, Akyem Hemang and Dansoman in Accra.
This forms part of the Foundation’s Care and Support project, in which they reach out to widows, the less privileged as well as the fatherless in society.
Mothers’ Day
Mother’s Day originated from mainly two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis.
Julia Ward sponsored Mother’s Day each year in Boston around 1870 to promote pacifism and disarmament with women. It lasted about 10 years. Anna Jarvis organized the first Mother’s Day in Grafton, West Virginia at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in 1908.
Chairman and Management in discussion
