International Widows Day 2021 commemoration

Theme: Invisible Women, Invisible Problems
Date: Friday 2nd July, 2021
Venue: KM23 Lekki/Epe Expressway, Oba’s Palace, Ajiran Town, Eti-Osa LGA, Lagos State

To mark this years’ International Widows’ Day (IWD), African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) commemorated the day on the 2nd of July, 2021 with widows drawn from different backgrounds and communities in Ajiran town. This year saw a new dimension to the days’ usual celebration of giving out hand-outs to indigent widows.

AWLA in keeping to their objective to enhance the dignity of women through  established platforms for empowering widows. This platform is a pathway to building and enhancing their economic prowess to be able to improve their visibility and contributions to their families and communities. Economic empowerment gives voice to the voiceless and helps build the esteem of those empowered.

AWLA introduced the Voluntary Village Savings and Loan Association (VVSLA) to the women with the aim of improving their saving culture and helping them to have access to micro finance opportunities in the future. The VVSLA group is the platform for building the capacities of the women to be economically empowered and subsequent transitioning to being a cooperative society in the community. This is the first of its kind in Ajiran Town. This is seen as a gateway to greater things to come to the women of Ajiran Town in Eti-Osa LGA, Lagos State.

The objective of this innovation is to promote sustainable economic capacity building of women using training modules that will equip them with requisite skills for team building, coordination, better parenting as well as role models for other women including widows to be self-reliant. To achieve this, Series of trainings have been lined up and shall take place over a period of seven (7) months in the community.

The first phase of the trainings is to commence by the 1st week of August, 2021.
Furthermore, there was sensitization of the women on their rights including their civic rights and responsibility. The women were elated and enthusiastic to be part of the novel and epoch making event.

AWLA Country Rep/National President- Efe Etomi Esq, through the Lagos State Chapter Rep Mulikat Thomas