Second Lady Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has advocated for widows’ empowerment.
Second Lady said economic empowerment should start with a change in mindset to help widows move away from grief and negative thoughts towards a more dignified life.
She said widows lose their husbands but not their intelligence, hands, or capacity to work.
Dorcas was speaking during the first African Widows Summit in Zanzibar, Tanzania from June 20 to June 22.
The summit-themed 'Women in Widowhood: Reforming the African Space' aimed at crafting solutions for challenges faced by widows across Africa.
She said they discussed the economic empowerment of the millions of widows living on our beautiful continent.
"A widow is not a beggar who needs sympathy but a person who needs empowerment and opportunities to continue with her life," she said.
She further encouraged African nations to organise widows into cooperatives, SACCOs, and CBOs to harness their potential.
"I also proposed that the African Union establish a fund to support widows," she said.
The summit was organised by 'The Union of African Widows', a Pan-African movement of widows.
African Widows Union says it stands as a beacon of hope and a champion for the voiceless.
It works tirelessly to empower widows, equipping them with the tools and resources they need to rebuild their lives.
