Widows receive food parcels from Life 4 U Foundation

Life 4 U Foundation project hosted a widow’s care programme to cherish the widows and elderly women of Ivory Park Extension Two on November 1.

The foundation has been serving and supporting the Tembisa and Ivory Park communities for years and still continues to recognise the needy widows in our communities.

The project not only supports widows, but orphans as well, which is also their main objective.

According to Life 4 U Foundation founder Simon Molekwa, the project is to acknowledge the struggles of widows so they can offload their burden of not receiving ‘cash injection’ to support their families.

“We want to show them the love of God as it is written in the book of James that true religion also includes to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need and to keep oneself uncontaminated from the world,” said Molekwa.

“This project of caring for the widows is very special to us because widowhood is a traumatic experience and process that naturally should evoke sympathetic treatment,” he said.

“Treatment faced by women who lose their husbands is sometimes very inhumane and unfortunate. In most cases, they are accused of killing their husbands and as such subjected to all kinds of trials and ordeals.

“The inhumane treatment vented on the widows varies from one culture to the other. After the period of mourning, they are subjected to the psychologically frustrating experience or process of being inherited by their heir or next of kin of their late husband’s,” said Molekwa.

Molekwa also shared a word of thanks for the stakeholders who contributed prior to the donation.

He said: “Life 4 U hereby likes to thank Past Pearl, Past John and the church of KHA for their immense support to the programme.

“We would also like to thank our chairperson and co-founder, Mpho Mofokeng, for his starring role in the widows’ care and organisation sustainability; not forgetting our organisation sponsor Iwisa Maize Meal for the continuous support in alleviating poverty in our communities. The next widows care event will return to Tembisa and Katlehong,” said Molekwa.

“We sincerely believe our dream of poverty-free communities will be accomplished through self-sacrifice and the support of those who believe in our dream,” concluded Molekwa.

Anyone interested in supporting the project by way of food items, stationery or anything else is welcome to contact Simon Molekwa on 011 053 8302 or 0791693705 or at Life4Ufoundation@workmail.co.za

The donated food parcels included 12.5kg maize meal, 10kg rice, 2-litre cooking oil, 2kg sugar, 1kg salt, beans, beef stock, tea bags, 1kg flour and concentrated juice.

The gogos were also treated to special motivational session by Dolly Ledwaba, a member of the provincial legislature.

Ledwaba said she was invited to motivate the widows by saying they must acquire skills and be assisted by the government to acquire those necessary skills for them to make a living.

“As government, we should empower them with beading, sewing, hand bag designs and tablecloths and encourage them to start small-scale farming, which could be easily done in their yard for home use or they could gain income from it as well. Another product is moringa, which is in high need nationally,” said Ledwaba.

“We come here because we want to instil dignity in our elderly people. We are saying we are aware the grant they receive is occasionally not enough with grandchildren having to benefit from it as well. The most important thing is that we still need the gogos who will be able to do tell stories because it boosts the young ones’ morally,” added Ledwaba.

They were also treated to performances by the Heroes of Tomorrow Arts Academy.

Emmanuel Dodose, founder of Heroes of Tomorrow Arts Academy, also treated the ladies to a special Kofifi dance. He said they wanted to take the ladies back to their times and remind them of how it was done.

“We also wanted to show the community what their children are capable of, and in the process we were giving back,” said Dodose.