International Widows Day - Changing the Narrative

In Nigeria, stories abound of widows being forced to drink the water used to wash their husband’s corpse – in the belief that it will kill them if they are guilty of causing his death – or of being made to declare their innocence before a local deity. The stigma or outright rejection a woman who has lost her husband could face often leaves her abandoned. Superstition causes other women to believe they may lose their husbands if they associate with a widow, while some men fear they, too, will die.

As the United Nations highlights International Widows’ Day, Gloria and the Founder of WiCare Lekota Foundation, a foundation to help widows and change the narrative, Diane Kalu, divulge the realities of life for widows in Nigeria and steps to better the situation of the widows.