Amadi P; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1998; 12: 1005-6 (abstract no. 60020).
St John's Hospital, Mzuzu, Malawi.
OBJECTIVE: To show the supportive Role Widows play in restoring hope to estranged and rejected widows in order to change attitudes of people in their matrimonial homes. BACKGROUND: Malawian widows continue to suffer rejection and discrimination and abandonment by relatives when their husbands die. Life becomes a prison of torture and destitution. METHOD: Volunteer widows visit fellow distressed widows on weekly basis. The visiting widows bring with them food items and other basic needs within their reach. After helping with chores around home; drawing water, cleaning/washing items, they conduct prayers together. RESULTS: The ostracized widows gradually recapture hope and are able to stand up and carry on with the struggles of life again. The support, comfort and love is offered by people who are widows themselves. The effects do not stop there, as soon, even hostile relatives change their attitude towards the widows. They begin to return some of the property they confiscated earlier on. LESSONS LEARNED: Effective support to distressed widows by fellow widows provides a sustainable restoration of hope through shared experience.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Attitude
- Loneliness
- Love
- Power (Psychology)
- Spouses
- Stress, Psychological
Other ID:
UI: 102231972
From Meeting Abstracts