Non-profit restores the dignity of widows and orphans
Lerato Maluleke started the organisation because of the lack of support for widows and their children during the time of bereavement.
POLOKWANE – The Widows Empowerment Corner (WEC) intends to restore the dignity of widows (male and female) and orphans within the communities.
The non-profit organisation facilitates programmes with the aim to break the stigma of widowhood and orphanhood by empowering widows and orphans to live beyond grief. Through the organisation, widows and orphans are encouraged to engage in community development and members of the community are encouraged to embrace widows and orphans.
Lerato Maluleke, the founder of WEC explained that it is a wing of ShirleyK Ministries for Marriage Organisation (Women in ShirleyK), which caters for couples and women of different statuses.
She started the organisation because of the lack of support for widows and their children during the time of bereavement.
“In the African culture, we have a fallacy that suggests that when one loses a spouse through death, the surviving spouse has a hand in it. This is mostly prevalent with surviving widows. As a result, the surviving spouse finds themselves mourning the loss of their loved one, the false accusations from the community members, including the in-laws, rejection by those who were close to them, and the assumption that the surviving spouse is suddenly wealthy due to the inheritance left by the deceased spouse, which in most cases is not true at all,” she said.
Maluleke became a widow three years into marriage. According to police reports, her husband was abducted, shot, and buried in a shallow grave. Given the manner of his death, she was subjected to negative energy by the people she had hoped would be her pillar of support at the time.
“I had to encourage myself like David in the Bible, as I attend the court cases, hurdles with estate administration, facing the family and the general public; learning how to run a ministry and raising my two-year-old son,” she said.
The organisation provides trauma counselling and aftercare for widows, orphans, and their immediate families, and facilitate empowerment and inspirational sessions for both contact and online session.
Meet-and-greet sessions are held for widows to share a meal, get to know each other, and share their experiences pertaining to the journey of widowhood. “The seminars are open to the general public, regardless of marital status. We invite professionals to address delegates on issues that affect our daily lives. For instance, in 2023, we had a lawyer addressing us on the various types of marriage regimes and the administration of estates. In one seminar, we had a psychologist talking to us about mental health,” she added. Twice a month, they host a WhatsApp Chat Party where they engage on selected topics or invite someone to address them on a particular topic.
The Mrs Limpopo Province semi-finalist 2024 will also be hosting a symposium themed ‘Bruised but not Broken’, which will be the last official event for the year. The event will be held at Zoe Life Ministries International on September 30. Contact 072 761 6026/ 082 295 2487 for more information.
