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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
News
SEND Ghana engage Gender Minister for strategic dialogue on social protection and gender equality
A delegation from SEND Ghana visited the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, to discuss collaboration on gender equality, social protection, and economic empowerment.
SEND Ghana, known for its policy advocacy and equitable development efforts, works closely with farmers and empowers young women aged 18–35 through Mastercard Foundation-supported projects focused on livelihood and agricultural support.
The Minister welcomed SEND Ghana’s initiatives and highlighted the Ministry’s alignment with their priorities.
She reaffirmed that social protection is a top priority under President John Mahama’s government and emphasized ongoing efforts to expand coverage and enhance service delivery through flagship programmes like Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), which remains vital for vulnerable households.
Regarding the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), the Minister noted plans to introduce legislation to ensure its sustainability and improve the nutritional quality of school meals.
She praised civil society’s role in monitoring local implementation.
The Minister also voiced strong support for menstrual hygiene and reproductive health campaigns, stressing education and access to sanitary products for adolescent girls, and encouraged efforts to break menstrual taboos and keep girls in school.
Broader gender issues discussed included reducing unpaid care work, promoting gender-sensitive leave policies (maternity and paternity leave), and boosting women’s economic opportunities.
Both parties agreed on the need to build gender-responsive systems that empower women socially and economically.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to work together for inclusive development, gender equity, and stronger social protection systems in Ghana.
News
3-Day in-country capacity building workshop on Women, Peace and Security Reporting Frame Work held
In 2018, the African Union developed the Continental Results Framework (CRF) to track the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda across Africa.
To support this regional effort, ECOWAS introduced a simplified version of the CRF in 2022 to guide member states in implementation and reporting.
As part of a broader regional effort to build national capacity across member states, the ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate for Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DHSA), and in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and the WPS Regional Steering Group—with technical and financial backing from the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project (EPSG), co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by GIZ—organized a three-day in-country capacity-building workshop in Ghana.
Held from June 10 to 12, 2025, the workshop was spearheaded by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with the European Union, the German Embassy, and the ECOWAS Commission.
It aimed to enhance the technical capacity of national stakeholders and focal persons to systematically document, monitor, and report on WPS interventions, particularly in relation to Ghana’s National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (GHANAP II).
The training also focused on improving data accuracy, promoting inter-agency collaboration, and ensuring Ghana’s reporting processes align with the ECOWAS Simplified CRF.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Momo Lartey, the Director of the Department of Gender, Madam Faustina Acheampong, described the workshop as “timely and appropriate,” noting its significance in strengthening Ghana’s WPS reporting architecture.
She further stressed the importance of accurate data and coordinated efforts to meet the country’s regional reporting obligations.
She also underscored the critical role of women in peacebuilding, emphasizing the need to amplify women’s voices and ensure their full participation in peace processes to achieve lasting, inclusive peace in Ghana.
Representing the ECOWAS Commission’s Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Mr. Olatunde Olayemi reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to Ghana’s WPS agenda. He highlighted the disproportionate impact of insecurity on women and girls and praised Ghana’s ongoing efforts to advance inclusive peacebuilding as a cornerstone for sustainable development.
Daniel Messina, from the European Union Delegation to Ghana, acknowledged the role of the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO) Programme—funded by the EU and German Government—in promoting peace, security, and gender equity across the region.
Additionally, Pauline Okkens, Political Advisor at the German Embassy, reiterated her government’s continued support for the development and implementation of continental and regional frameworks on Women, Peace and Security.
