First Lady gives widows new lease of life . . . launches Mash Central chapter of widows association
THOUSANDS of widows yesterday sang and danced with joy when First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa launched the Mashonaland Central Province chapter of the First Lady’s Widows Association in Guruve with a provision of stock to open shops as well as goats, chickens and feed for empowerment projects.
Mashonaland Central, Dr Mnangagwa’s home province, becomes the fourth province where the association has been launched after Mashonaland West, Masvingo and Manicaland.
Nearly 3 000 widows from the districts of Rushinga, Mazowe, Shamva, Mbire, Bindura, Guruve, Mt Darwin and Muzarabani benefited.
Under the instruction and supervision of the mother of the nation, the women immediately formed committees for them to work transparently on different projects.
The stock distributed included maize meal, sugar, sugar beans, rice, water, beverages, macaroni, biscuits and snacks.
Livestock feed suppliers Profeeds and Irvine’s partnered the First Lady’s Angel of Hope Foundation and were on the ground to train beneficiaries on how to run poultry projects.
Bulawayo-based arts group, Iyasa, provided edutainment and performed a play depicting a widow who was left with two children on her husband’s demise.
Greedy relatives snatched everything, leaving her wallowing in poverty and reduced to a beggar.
The widow was ridiculed and labelled a prostitute and witch.
Her children were later taken away from her by relatives who accused her of killing her husband.
At the end of the play, the group said widows deserved respect, protection, rights and freedom.
Widows, the group members said, had a right to a better life and were not supposed to be stripped of their assets. They said it was criminal and immoral to suppress widows and orphans.
So engaging was the play that some widows could be seen wiping away tears as some of the issues raised mirrored the real-life challenges they were facing.
In her remarks, the First Lady enjoined widows to put to good use, the goods they had received and use their hands to earn a dignified living in the communities.
“I thank you for coming in your numbers madzimai. I founded the First Lady’s Widows Association with you in my mind. For a widow, the journey starts with the death of your spouse.
“God would have judged and death has no appointment. When your spouse dies, you mourn over why it happened to you and wonder who will look after the children.
How will we survive? We do not blame God, but we thank him for our wonderful time with the deceased and ask for strength to start a new life you would not have planned.
“You must ask for strength to raise the children from God. When God’s time is ripe no one can say otherwise,” she said.
The First Lady commented on the play by Iyasa.
“Our children from Iyasa enacted a play which bore many lessons. The woman we saw in the play went through a lot of challenges.
“I then say to widows wipe your tears, arise and work for the family. Do not think about being inherited but look after the children. God will never lead you through challenges that you cannot stand against, he will make a way. We say no to those widows who start having boyfriends and children see a variety of clothes belonging to different lovers in the wardrobe. What will they learn from you?
“Also, if you as a mother wear skin tights, is that good? Be a dignified mother who is respectable. When widowed it does not mean you do not bathe. If you start a market stall, you need to be neat and presentable because no one wants to buy food from someone who would not have bathed. You should not spend the day with pulling socks in the head,” she said to applause.
A devout Christian herself, Dr Mnangagwa implored widows to put God first in everything they do.
“Put God first in all you do. Speak to God and say you took away Richard and I am thankful for the time I had with him and now give me strength to soldier on.
“I have come to reinforce that a woman must work. I have come to officially launch the First Lady’s Widows Association Mashonaland Central chapter so that you start businesses.
“I want to thank the Angel of Hope Foundation partners I have been working with to assist others. We want to form committees so that we start running our businesses.
“I have brought stock and given you goats, chickens and feed for projects. I will be working with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development who will be overseeing the projects. We want financial discipline in the projects. What I have brought is not for you to consume with your families but to transform your lives.
‘You learnt business management from the Zimbabwe Open University under its partnership with Angel of Hope Foundation and you are going to apply the knowledge in your new businesses. It will help you with financial literacy. I want your businesses to thrive. I wish you all the best,” she said.
Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Chaplin Christine Phiri emphasised the need for widows to work hard and embrace the teachings of the First Lady.
“Today our mother has come to speak to you widows. She is a loving mother who does not select. She understands the difficulties faced by widows in life and she says I love you,” she said.
“The First Lady said to me you were widowed at 21 and you understand how difficult it is so let us go and speak to other women. She is saying stop grieving, be comforted, wipe your tears, arise and work for your families,” she said before breaking into the song “Ariko munyaradzi Jesu chinyarara kuchema”.
“Our mother is saying if you lost a loved one, the healing process starts when you accept the situation. Someone was widowed 10 years ago, but she continues with a heavy heart and is always crying. Our mother is saying you grieved and it’s enough. Arise and work.
Nowadays there is a song by Killer T called “Kana ndanyura”. Our mother is saying do not fall neck-deep in love with a boyfriend and destroy the wealth left for the children by your husband. Falling in love to the point of not returning home and neglecting your children.