News
Reverend Sister forms association to support widows
Just like Dorcas in the Bible who organised widows and orphans and provided for them, a Catholic Sister in the Dafiiama-Bussie-Issah District in the Upper West Region, has taken it upon herself to organise and assist widows.
Reverend Sister Gabriel Nonaah of the Daffiama Parish, now an octogenarian (80 years and above) has been doing the benevolent work since 1990 and now has over 780 widows under her stewardship called the St Monica’s Widows Association.
Sister Nonaah told TheSpectator that she had the call in a dream to start the association when she came to terms with the suffering of widows in the area.
“From the stories they shared with me about the physical and emotional trauma they went through, I was touched and decided to help them with the little I can and that birthed the association in 1990,” she narrated.
She explained that she was unable to cater fully for the needs of the widows but supported them emotionally with soothing words that encouraged them to live decent lives.
She said she had to step in to educate some of them about some outmoded traditions when she first started the association.
Through sensitisation, the association has been able to save many of the widows from such practices and encouraged to be economically active.
“It has not been smooth sailing, we really have challenges because I cannot cater for 780 widows as you can see and many of them have dependent children and the number keeps adding on”, she said.
She explained that during the floods that occurred in the region last year which washed away young seedlings on people’s farms, many of the widows were affected and life became very unbearable for them.
She lamented that many of the widows were currently living in undesirable conditions and were mostly starved because they did not have any farm produce to depend on.
Sister Nonaah used the opportunity to call on benevolent institutions and individuals to come to their aid and support the women in whichever way possible either through skills training for the younger ones or support in petty trading.
“I am very old now, so I have started training a young lady to take over from me but she will still need the assistance of people to be able to help these women”, she said.
She mentioned Lawyer Thaddeus Sory, Managing partner at Sory@Law, a law firm in Accra as one of their regular donors who had made a point to make food donation in large quantities to them annually.
Some of the widows interacted with this reporter and shared harrowing experiences.
“I lost my husband six years ago and I have six children”, Madam Christy Kpianyanga, a widow narrated. She said her youngest child was seven years old and was not in school just because she could not provide for him in addition to the others.
She indicated that it was difficult providing three square meals a day particularly after last year’s floods where she lost her crops to the water.
Another widow, Afia Wadieh had four children when her husband died 10 years ago leaving them with no farmland to feed on. She was in a dilemma as she had no working capital either.
She was however grateful to the Association for the support it continued to provide since its inception.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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