"I and my children were beaten and kicked out of our house by the
brothers-in-law. We live by begging, in continual fear"
Widows in Resistance and Against Threats and Harassment in Africa (WRATH_Africa)
This is an exerpt from a letter to Laura Slap-Shelton, of Grief and Renewal, from WRATH Africa’s founder and Chairperson, Coleta Khamete Aduod.
WRATH Africa, a nondenominational faith based organization of widows originating in Kenya, seeks to support and help other widows throughout Africa. WRATH stands for Widows in Resistance & Against Threats and Harassment in Africa.
-‘I was widowed almost 3 decades ago. My properties were taken away by clan members in what was referred to as property inheritance not minding that I had 4 sons and 4 daughters to be taken care of. I had dropped my job with the police force to take care of our children but after the death of my husband I was forced to look for another job. Though I did not manage to get back to the forces but lucky enough having been in medical field I got a job with a local missionary hospital as an a nurse.
At the local mission hospital I learned that beside severe poverty there are other major problems facing widows in our rural communities which include domestic violence, sexual abuse, indecent funeral procedures and rites, eviction and homeless, violence of human rights and freedom, ignorance to mention but just a few. 
While still at the hospital I met quite a number of widows some who were my workmates and we formed a widows’ self-support group to support ourselves in time of emergencies. To be a member, one had to contribute certain amount of money either monthly or on a fortnight basis. Well, it was a fantastic idea and it actually supported us when time of need arose. But, we exempted another group of widows who actually needed more support than some of us and who were unable to contribute sum of amount required. That is why I personally came up with an idea of forming a registered faith based non-governmental organization which will cater for all sort of widows within African communities regardless of their social or economical status, unless if a widow is not in need of our support or not willing to be part of the group. As an organization we are focusing towards:
• Providing forums for exchange programs.
• Availing more training opportunities for widows to make them productive within the society.
• Creating opportunities for local grouping and innovations.
• Strengthening, scaling-up and replicating existing projects.
• Exploring links between and amongst existing bodies within the society.
• Addressing reproductive health issues.
• Improvement of education standards and equal access to legal systems.
• ...among others
You can read more about WRATH Africa on GriefandRenewal.com
WRATH Africa, Head Office P.O. Box 327 – 50406 FUNYULA. Busia, Kenya
From WRI Newsletter 8 - Full copies of the Newsletter available from WRI office or download PDF