Northern Ghana's Madam Betty
Betty Ayagiba offers hope in Ghana through the Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM). WOM works to curb violence against women, and provides training and income-generation support to widows and orphans.
After the death of my husband in 1988, I was falsely accused of killing him and running away with his belongings," says Mrs. Betty Ayagiba. "It was such a difficult time, but I had few options." That’s why in 1999, she founded the Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), a CUSO-VSO partner group in Northern Ghana.
The life of a widow in rural Ghana can be extremely harsh. The acute poverty a woman may find herself in due to the death of her husband is difficult enough, but she may also be subject to degrading customs and rituals. In some areas of Ghana, a widow is forced to strip naked and lay on the ground; if a certain type of ant bites her, it proves she was unfaithful and she loses rights to her dead husband’s property.
In other communities, a widow may be pressured to marry a member of the deceased’s family, often the brother. If she does not, she can be ostracized, accused of witchcraft, and even denied access to her children. Not all traditions are created equal.
The Widows and Orphans Movement
Betty Ayagiba understands the reality of widows all too well. She refused to participate in the denigrating customs, and so was falsely accused of killing her husband. For a time, she was not allowed to have any contact with her children.
"My husband died when my first daughter was only nine years old and my last child barely two," says Betty, who eventually went on to study midwifery and public health nursing to support her family. Madame Ayagiba's life’s story and the stories she heard from other widows led her to found WOM in 1999. The organization has grown tremendously since its beginning. In the originating Upper East Region of Ghana, there are over 7,000 members; the group has now expanded to five more regions of the country.
"The vision of a 'Widows and Orphans' movement came to me while I was working as a full-time nurse," Ayagiba says. "With my limited income, I looked after my children but also tried to help other widows too. The women began meeting to discuss common concerns, and we created an association against the wishes of local authorities. In 1999, the Church of Pentecost agreed to pay my salary for two years, and I was able to establish the movement."
CUSO-VSO's support
CUSO-VSO (the result of a merger between CUSO and VSO Canada) is one of the supporters of WOM and their efforts to curb violence against women, and offer training and income-generation support to widows and orphans. Activities of WOM include income generation (farming, crafts, animal husbandry, cloth weaving, bread-baking and shea butter production), counseling, assistance dealing with authorities, advocacy against the harmful practices widows endure, and support to victims of domestic violence.
And in 2008, WOM officially opened the Northern Women’s Shelter Home in Pusu-Namongo, near Bolgatanga. The shelter – the first if its kind in northern Ghana – will be a refuge for victims of domestic violence, but will also offer training in income-generating activities to widows and orphans.
The new centre was named 'CUSO House' in honour of the support the Canadian organization had offered WOM, in particular the stand-out efforts of volunteer Edith Conacher. Ms. Conacher is a Ghanaian-Canadian who calls both Saskatchewan and Ghana home. An experienced social worker, she took a leadership role in the planning of, and fundraising for, the shelter.
The shelter project has generated considerable interest among the public, government and civil society organizations. The US Embassy has announced that it is providing the funds necessary to build an additional six-room block as a second phase of the structure. The hope is that the shelter will eventually have 21 rooms along with training facilities.
