THE WIDOWS EMPOWERMENT TRUST
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Mission Statement
Striving to promote social inclusion in the lives of widows, widowers and anyone that has experienced bereavement.
About This Cause
The Widows Empowerment Trust is a charitable, Manchester-based organisation that was first funded in 2017 by the CEO, Oyovwe Kigho. After Oyovwe witnessed the painful emotional anguish her grandmother faced after her grandfather’s passing, empathy and compassion lead her to founding the charity. The charity’s primary aim is to bring back smiles, happiness, and intrinsic value in widows. This volunteer-led charity currently has 22 volunteers that supported 1100 beneficiaries over 6 years both face to face and digital befriending across Greater Manchester including digital befriending nationally; new beneficiaries are referred to us on a weekly basis. Mission and Aim… Support and provide relief for women and others in need due to bereavement. Reduce level of loneliness and social isolation faced by widows & widowers and others in need due to bereavement. Work with other organisations to meet the needs of widows & widowers. Continue to develop the skills of our volunteers and stronger community. Improve health and wellbeing. Challenge the stigma facing widows. Bring back lost hope. Services and Projects… Befriending/home visits, Telephone/remote befriending, Wellbeing support sessions Shopping and running errands, Meals out, Days out, Pampering sessions, Celebrating key dates (End of Year, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day) Donations to St Mary’s Hospital and North Manchester Hospital Bag packing to fundraise for charity. Fundraising challenges! After over 6 years of successfully running our services, we have received more referrals than ever before from the likes of NHS Navigator, Manchester Carers, GPs, Cruise Bereavement, etc. for long-term support for bereaved clients. Hence, we have assigned an increased number of volunteers and staff to have optimal client engagement. In order to provide the appropriate service that our clients deserve and to accommodate our increased staff. The impact to our community Highly accessible to clients and others in need, where they may be able to receive information easily regarding a vast number of needs: Financial aid Professional development Emotional support Community engagement. Signposting We aim to have our community center provide services in a holistic manner, being able to address most of the needs that widows experience on a regular basis. We need a donation. With your help we can develop our organization and development. By investing in our grief community help center, you will contribute to: The well-being and empowerment of widows, widowers and others in need due to bereavement in our local area. We also provide befriending nationally. Your support: Will foster gender equality. Promote social cohesion. Strengthen the fabric of our community. A drastic increase of loneliness due to the previous involvement of the spouse in social activities. Hence, the organisation’s volunteer-led social activities are crucial to increase social contact amongst widowed beneficiaries. Losing a life partner at any age has a severe impact on well-being. Psychological research has found that the loss of a life partner can be complicated and traumatising which can be detrimental to one's mental and physical health. However, people tend to overlook widows and widowers due to the societal belief that their age and experience makes them capable of handling grief on their own. This can lead to the isolation of widows and widowers which can negatively affect their grieving process and mental health even more. Loneliness has been associated with a 50% increase risk of dementia and 29% increase risk of heart disease. Hence, loneliness could be extremely hurtful for bereaved people who are mostly older adults. We strive to counteract loneliness, social isolation and loss of confidence in widows and widowers through our work and services. We promote social inclusion by enthusiastically engaging with beneficiaries on our activity workshops.