Anne Mwololo, 52, has overcome physical, social, emotional and mental challenges since she lost her husband in 2006, and also lost her sight in 2010.
Ms Anne was involved in a fatal accident on her way to Makueni, an occurrence that left her using a white cane. Widows carry a lot of emotional and psychological pain, and the story of Ms Mwololo is one of double tragedy as widowhood and disability converge.
“I was lucky to survive the road accident, but I lost my sight. I visited many hospitals seeking treatment, but I was told the accident had caused extensive damage that resulted in loss of my sight. My son was also hurt, and experiences pains in his back every now and then,” said Ms Mwololo.
She spoke while attending a knitting session at the House of Grace Church, Nairobi West, where more than 250 widows meet under the Widows and Orphans Program initiated by the spouse of the Deputy President, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi. The Nairobi Chapter also has other projects that include tree nurseries, detergent making, beadwork, and dressmaking.
The widows program has been therapeutic for Ms Mwololo, who attends the sessions together with her friends who live in Kibera.
“My friends pick me up at my house, and we have been attending this program for months. It has given me hope, and I look forward to attending,” said Ms Mwololo as she displayed her knitted work.
“I used to sell clothes at Gikomba market, but because of the challenge with my sight, people would steal from me, and I stopped. I still depend a lot on well-wishers for my provision but this program has redefined my life,” said Ms Mwololo.
The projects under the widows program are intended at empowering the widows with skills and knowledge where they can become self-sufficient and productive. It also includes therapeutic sessions (safari ya ujane) where the widows share their experiences for their emotional healing. They have sessions with legal experts on succession, inheritance, and land matters.
Other similar programs are running in Migori, Embu, Bomet, Nakuru and Kajiado with projects tailor-made for the regions. Pastor Dorcas, who was brought up by a widow, advocates for the empowerment of widows in Kenya, Africa and the world.
She spoke passionately about widowhood at the United Nations in 2023, and also attended the first Africa Widows Summit held in Zanzibar in June 2024, among tens of other widows meetings in different parts of Kenya.
To build the leadership skills of the widows, different champions are identified to lead the different projects and ensure widows are nurtured in all areas of life. The Nairobi program has a health champion, spiritual nourishment champion, candle making champion, crocheting champion, sports champion, and soap making champion among others.
The role of the champions is to keep the groups focused on their mission, and motivated.
The champion of the knitting and crocheting project in Nairobi, Margaret Khatenje, is passionate and keeps the widows motivated whenever they meet for sessions.
Florence Naomi has also made beautiful doormats under different themes that include logos of media stations, and heartfelt themes.
Ms Florence hopes to sell the mats and empower her life economically.
