Welcoming 200 new widows to Nyanam

By Jackie Odhiambo

Seeds for new leadership circles

When we implemented our first kitchen gardens project in 2020, in partnership with Women in the Window International, we gave each Nyanam widow two extra packet of seeds to be generous with. As women who are stepping into community leadership roles, the assignment for Nyanam widows was to find other vulnerable widows in their communities, donate their extra vegetables seeds, and mentor these widows in sustainable agriculture skills they had learnt as they encouraged them to also find or create their own communities of support. 

Being the leaders they are, Nyanam widows went into their communities, individually and collectively as leadership circles to find widows who needed much care and support but were not part of widows’ communities. Using their vegetable seeds of generosity, they created and strengthened bonds with widows who were still isolated and unsure whether widow support groups would be places of hope and strength for them. Nyanam widows shared their own experiences in their leadership circles, inspiring hope in the sisterhoods of purpose. They shared with joy the spiritual, emotional, economic, and mental health support they gained from each other through leadership circles.  

The stories of their personal transformations in the circles inspired these new widows to organize themselves into circles and reach out to become part of Nyanam. The result is that of the 200 widows joining Nyanam this year 2021, 75 organized in three leadership circles were inspired by Nyanam widows to create their own leadership circles. 125 were already organized in six support groups, heard about the work from other widows and community members, and sent their request to be part of Nyanam.  

Names that inspire hope

We are excited to strengthen the activities and build on the hope that these women already share, in solidarity with one another. This solidarity is reflected in the variety of the names these widow groups have. 'Mak Bada' widows which means hold my hand depicts this solidarity. Widows holding hands represents the unity that they seek with one another, the intimacy of the relationships they create in the leadership circles and the longevity of these relationships. They are not simply shaking hands, they are holding hands which signifies a journey they want to take together. It is a great representation of unity and equality and reminds us of Ben King's song, Stand by me.

Chak Wuoth widows which means start the journey reminds widows they don’t have to be stuck where their deceased husbands left them. These widows have made the decision to move forward, one step at a time and they encourage each other to do the same. It is a beautiful picture of widows rising together, with no one left behind. Many are these names of hope including Geno widows representing the hope that strengthens these widows. Hopelessness can be a chronic and destabilizing feature of widowhood. These widows have chosen names and labels that represent the future they want. These names, Mak Bada, Chak Wuoth, Geno, offer us a window into the heart of these widows as they believe positive change is possible together.

A few of their expressed hopes are that Nyanam would help them grow in their relationship with God, in their ability to meet the educational needs of their children, and in their desire to challenge norms and practices that limit their capacities and capabilities. We thank God for this blossoming opportunity to partner with widows.