ABOUT US

African Wonder Women Organisation CIC, AWWOrg (Company No: 14204212) is a not-for-profit organisation registered and operating from the United Kingdom. Through our flagship programmes and wellness seminars, we support the bereaved, traumatised and oppressed, particularly widows and vulnerable women and girls.

We provide a safe space where the traumatised and oppressed can express themselves, share their stories and feel supported. We also empower them with skills for emotional wellness, employability and financial freedom, so they can become emotionally stable and valued members of their communities.

Our operations are supported by personal funds, donations, sponsorships and grants from individuals, private organisations and government bodies.

We aim to ‘Redefine Widowhood and Strengthen Relationships’.

Background

Becoming a widow is never planned but we all know a friend, sister, aunt, or mother who lost a spouse. We can recall how, as African Widows, they, and their children, were treated and particularly how they were negatively impacted by the loss.

African culture and traditions and its exploitation of widows during such a difficult period of loss are echoed by several families, women and widows across Africa and the rest of the world. We intend to feature case studies of real-life challenges from widows from different countries across Africa.

Furthermore, research findings on the treatment of widows in Africa are alarming and there are discriminatory cultural practices that require challenge, education, and enlightenment. A World Bank publication stated that Nigeria’s worse nutritional status for widows is linked to inheritance practices and cultural attitudes and norms towards widows associated with ethnic and religious groups.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5, 8, 9, 10 & 11) advocate for social injustice, gender equality and greater financial independence for women. The level of injustice is particularly critical for African women who are widows and we aim to challenge this inequality in line with the United Nations SDGs 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 & 17