Founder of the Blessed Widows Ministries (BWM), Sharmane Roland-Bowen, is again making an appeal for the Church and society in general to offer help to the widows in need in this country.
Roland-Bowen said that the ministry, which is now two years old, has been doing good work during that period, but she acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the shutdown of the country for several weeks, made it somewhat difficult to accomplish all that they want to. Nevertheless, she said that BWM’s goal remains to empower and equip widows over the age of 55, who do not have any male companions, to not only “stand on their own two feet”, but excel. With that in mind, she said going into the new year, she is hoping that things will improve and more churches, individuals and companies alike would be able to lend a hand to the cause.
“We just came out of the Christmas season and there were widows we would have helped to have a better Christmas, providing such things as food items, and as we go into the new year, we want to be able to continue to assist them and in turn help them to help themselves,” she told The Barbados Advocate.
She made the point while indicating that one of their goals is to assist widows whose household incomes have been reduced because of the death of their husbands, or even due to the pandemic, to acquire new skills that they can utilise to become gainfully employed or even self-employed. Her comments came as she said that since starting the ministry, they have been able to secure a few jobs for some of the widows they have reached out to and she expressed appreciation to those individuals as well as members of the private sector for stepping up to the plate.
“We want to thank them and we want to encourage others to do the same. There is a part for each and every person to play. Married women do not know if that fate would befall them and even our men, they cannot tell what would happen to them, and I do not think they would want to know their wives were left behind, found it difficult to make ends meet and no one sought to help them,” she added.
Roland-Bowen is also reiterating her call for Christian-minded artisans and professionals to lend their assistance to the cause by volunteering their time and services.
“That includes skilled workers such as carpenters, painters, gardeners and masons, or professionals such as lawyers from within the Church because oftentimes these women need assistance but cannot afford it. And yes we know things are hard at this time, but it is by helping one another that we help ourselves,” the BWM’s head insisted. (JRT)