Akumaa Mama Zimbi

What is Wane?

What is Wane?

The Widows Alliance Network (WANE) for sustainable economic development of widows in Ghana is one of the projects undertaken by the Mama Zimbi Foundation (MZF) to advocate against injustices faced by widows, motivate, empower and support widows and their needy children in Ghana.

WANE can be described as the most formidable widows alliance with a network of over 300 different widows club and associations with registered membership of over 6,000 widows nationwide under the single umbrella organization, the Mama Zimbi Foundation (MZF).

What are WANE’s goals?

1. Because the Widows Alliance Network (WANE) is more of a self-help organisation and community base, we encourage widows to learn to grow in self confidence, to develop new skills as well as new friendships to develop their families and their communities.
2. WANE works together with all organizations that seek to promote the total wellbeing of the Ghanaian woman and her rights.
3. WANE also is compiling a comprehensive national database of widows.

What does WANE do?

The Widows Alliance Network (WANE) is involved in three main activities:

1. Widows Training Workshops (WTC) for Community Self-Help Activities.
2. Widows Business Financing Scheme called NNOBOA (literally meaning Group Rotational Aid Package in Ghanaian language).
3. Widows Alliance Conference (WAC) for Advocacy and National Widows Cohesion.

1. Widows Training Workshops (WTW) for Community Self-Help Activities

With the Widows Training Workshops (WTC), widows in selected communities are introduced to courses such as beads making, shear butter oil making, sewing, office management, literacy programs, human rights and social hygiene. They receive orders to work on, which is a good source of not only income, but also incentive and encouragement. The objective is to help Ghanaian widows establish their life and become self-sufficient and also support their families. The WTW:

• Serves as periods where new membership registrations are made are added to the national database of widows.
• It is also a forum where sensitization programs organised by WANE in partnership with other organizations and the Widows Alliance Conference (WAC) resolutions are discussed at the community level.
• It also helps to mobilise widows for regular meetings in order to support members especially in times of difficulty or distress, and also discuss pertinent issues that affect women in their community.
• Volunteers are assigned as District Co-ordinators to oversee such WTW in their community.

2. Widows Business Financing Scheme called NNOBOA (literally meaning Group Rotational Aid Package in Ghanaian language).

The Business Financing Scheme called NNOBOA (literally meaning Group Rotational Aid Package in Ghanaian language) which was adopted by WANE on a pilot basis has really proved to be sustainable and has helped lift about 6,000 widows into economic liberation in Ghana.

The modalities behind the scheme is that, after the widows receive training under the Widows Training Workshops (WTW), sufficient funds are awarded to them to start a trade, vocation or business. These small-scale businesses range from bread-making, beads-making, dress-making, farming, food and beverage vending, bee keeping, etc. During the business cycle, the widows are encouraged and made to save into a joint NNOBOA savings account. The NNOBOA savings account is then redistributed and rechanneled into the businesses of the widows on a group rotational basis.

On a monthly basis, the amount of money contributed from each widow within the group from their businesses is awarded to a selection of the widows (maximum of 5) to expand their businesses. The same amount of monies collected from each member of the group is awarded to the second selected widows (maximum of 5). The cycle continues till all the widows involved have received their share of monies contributed from every widow. It must be noted that the selected widows receiving the amount for the chosen month also contributes her or their portion in order that the total sum could be attained and granted to her or them.

The success of this scheme has also encouraged group savings where each widow is made to pay monthly dues of at least equivalent of $2 which is lodged into their group’s savings account in the bank.

These monies are not touched until the group finds a group-oriented project such as soap making and then WANE provides the necessary training and management skills to them in order for them to venture into such businesses. So far, the group that has the least savings has about equivalent to $80 and this group inaugurated about four months ago is located in a very poor community, and they are really proud of their savings. The group that has the most savings has about equivalent of $900 and they are already into palm kernel oil production.

It is important to note that WANE has no direct control on the savings of the groups, all we do is to give them moral and technical support in the management and investment of their savings.

3. Widows Alliance Conference (WAC) for Advocacy and National Widows Cohesion

There is an annual national Widows Alliance Conference (WAC) which brings together all widows in Ghana under one roof. This fosters strength and a sense of purpose in women who feel that they have lost their future after the death of their partners, and also encourage widows to learn to grow in self confidence, to develop new skills as well as new friendships.

WAC is an appropriate forum to advocate against injustices faced by widows in certain cultures on the national level. Most often, upon the death of their husbands, reality for the widow is;

• She will rarely inherit his property.
• She will be evicted from their home.
• She is denied the right to remarry.
• She is blamed for her husband’s death.
• She is cast out and ostracized.
• She is vulnerable to abuse by male in-laws.
• Her children are often deprived of education

This advocacy is done by raising awareness about widows’ plight in order to increase its profile and obtain commitments from governments, policy makers and donors for its needed attention through joint press conferences and direct presentation of petitions to the powers that be.

It is also a platform where:

• The annual reports of the widows’ activities nationwide are made known to all members.
• New resolutions about the network are discussed and adopted.
• All women are continually sensitized to support the course of widows and also reminding them that all women have the potential of becoming widows which is not by choice, neither is it a curse but ordained by God.

How to Contact WANE

Currently, registered membership stands at over 6,000 nationwide, however about 2,000 of them who are desperately in need and their families are being helped. Since most of the families have at least the children (ranging in age 2 months to 19 years), life has improved for all these children through this sponsorship program.

Because the situation for the widows and their families is very difficult, WANE is offering an opportunity for more people to sponsor additional families.

If sponsors need help in communicating with the families, and for more information about the Widows Alliance Network, our projects or how you can help, please contact us at:

Widows Alliance Network (WANE)

Mama Zimbi Foundation

P.O.BOX AT 651

Achimota Market,

Accra, Ghana

Tel: (233) 0244-261-200, 0244-340-484

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Bank: Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited

Account Name: Mama Zimbi Foundation

Account Number: 01400-90223-001

SWIFT CODE: SBICGHAC