International Wise Award winner Akumaa Mama Zimbi, otherwise called Joyce Akumaa Dongotey Paddi, who also doubles as a radio presenter and veteran actress, has revealed plans to provide a database on widows in Ghana. The Adom FM presenter, who has been advocating for the well-being and rights of widows in Ghana these past few years, made this known while speaking at this year’s edition of the Widows Alliance Conference organized by her Widows Alliance Network (WANE) at the Trade Fair Center last Saturday. She expressed the need to have a concrete database on widows. She said the project is important as it will be useful to the government in times of policy making and economic planning, as well as draw its attention to the plight of some widows. According to Akumaa, “Wane is compiling a comprehensive national database of widows”. It is however not readily known when the database will be out, but she hinted that it will be out very soon. The vital information to be included in the database is the number of women who are widowed every year. What led to the demise of their spouses? What have the widows and their children been going through after their spouses passed on, and other essential information. This year’s Widows Alliance Conference drew an even bigger audience than previous ones. Over three thousand widows from all walks of life assembled at the Trade Fair Center. Also present at the event were Nana Oye Luther; women’s right campaigner, Rev. Gabriel Ansah; end time preacher and a number of dignitaries. Akumaa said the conference, which is one of her numerous projects under her Mama Zimbi Foundation (MZF), was to advocate against injustices meted out to widows, motivate them, and support them and their needy children. “We encourage widows to learn to grow in self confidence, to develop new skills as well as new friendship to develop their families”, she added. She said they created Widows’ Training Workshops, where widows in selected communities are introduced to courses such as bead making, shear butter oil making, sewing, office management, literacy programmes, human rights and social hygiene. At Saturday’s conference some widows presented products from the trade they have been engaged in for the past year. The conference was sponsored by Indomie, Maggie and Milo from Nestle Ghana Limited, Koffee Lounge @ the A&C Shopping Mall, Larry Fenn’s Kitchen, O₂ - Oxygen Sanitary Pad and Latex Foam. The rest are Everpure Purified Water, Papso Fruit Drink, Healthy-Soul Natural Center, First Choice Digital Studios, Danny’s Decoration, Golden Tree Chocolate, Purejoy, Media Fanbern and the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre. Source: By Francis Addo