TRAVELS w/P: Tales of Adventure Here & There

11/03/2013 Monday – first day at work

I sit in complete darkness except for the backlight coming from the computer. Sweat collects on my upper lip and pools in the crooks of my arms and back of my knees. It’s so sticky I have to purposefully lift each finger from the keyboard. And to think this is how so many live. In fact I’ve more luxury than most. Go figure.

Today, my first at the office, I edited a proposal for funding. The project? Widow Empowerment. Rather than try to explain it in my own words, I’ll do some cut and paste from the document. Here goes:

 In a patriarchal society like Nigeria, men tend to hold sovereign power, controlling households and society as a whole. Women are generally expected to be subservient. In the rural communities of Ebonyi Cross and River States, despite State and Federal efforts, poverty has engulfed rural women largely because most assistance channels through men. Although laws were passed in both Ebonyi and Cross River State in 2000 prohibiting all forms of violence against women, maltreatment of widows persists.

The backward practices of widowhood ritual as proof of innocence in the death of their husband, includes among others, drinking of the water used in washing the husband’s corpse, confinement/not bathing for one year, wearing of sanitary pad for a year, eating of cooked meat from the mouth of the dead spouse, taking oath, etc.

A recent study (November 2012) on violence against women by CUN revealed that widows in the rural communities of Obubra in Cross River and Izzi and Ikwo in Ebonyi States of Nigeria go through dehumanising rites upon the death of their spouse and are in most cases denied access to productive resources which leads to socio-economic disempowerment. To earn a meagre living, according to the recent survey, the majority of widows are involved in casual labour at stone quarry sites (breaking rocks for road and house construction), weeding grass in rice farms, or bush clearing – all for a token payment of N200 per day (the equivalent of US $1.25).

A widow from Izzi LGA recounts: “I delivered my last baby at the building site. I knew my pregnancy was of term but since there was no food at home I had no option than to go for daily job in order to get at least some food.”

According to the study, 90% of widows in target communities are also continually suppressed by the relatives of their late spouse which includes among others: a) denied access to revenue generating resources (e: bush mango is a major source of household income in target areas; b) seizure of farm land; c) taking over of good shelter and forcing widows and their dependents to seek housing elsewhere - the majority take refuge in dilapidated buildings. Under the guise of tradition and fuelled by abject poverty widows are made to live unimaginable lifestyles. Despite HIV/AIDS awareness programs delivered through the efforts of Government and NGOs widows are traditionally regarded as free commodities in their communities. As such, it is not uncommon for widows to accept gifts from men in exchange for intimate favours. If they become pregnant they are abandoned. Traditionally the children from these pregnancies are named after the widow’s deceased husband.

 The Igbo tribe with their rich culture are still observing some backward practices including limited involvement of women in the decision making process. Targeted communities for this project present distinct access challenges. These include rough terrain and the need to cross small rivers or streams and/or makeshift bridges. These remote communities, cut off from mainstream methods of communication, are where perennial problems of widowhood ritual flourish. 

To contribute to economic empowerment of widows and create an environment for social change, specific project objectives are to directly improve the quality of the life of 960 persons (120 widows with an average 8 children each) in 24 rural communities. The project will provide technical and basic enterprise-management training on chosen vocational and agricultural improvement skills. Participants will be encouraged to select life skills with which they are familiar, skills that offer economic viability within their communities, skills that require little technical expertise but ensure the greatest possibility of success and long-term sustainability.

At the project’s conclusion, the income generating activities of the widowed beneficiaries will continue to change their lives for the better. Their children will have access to school and food, and, importantly, other families will learn from their successes."