“No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother's love. It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star.” Edwin Hubbell Chapin.
THE Gender and Children’s Page decided that on the occasion of this year’s Mother’s Day, which falls tomorrow May 12, it would speak with a number of widows at Mallam, Accra, to share their stories of the hardships they go through, to provide for the needs of their families.
Their contention is that once a mother is dead, there is no hope because of the fear of loss of care, love and affection. But when a father is lost, there is hope that a mother would be there to cater for the children left behind.
Madam Comfort Boatemaa, a fried yam seller at Mallam, lost her husband about 13 years ago while their son was 15 years.
With the fried yam business, she has taken care of her son, who completed the University of Development Studies last year and is doing his national service.
“I had no choice than to take full responsibility after the death of my husband. I took him through junior high school to senior high and then to the university. It was not easy at all as I had to toil hard to see him through his education,” she said.
She explained that giving her son, who is now 24 years, the best education was her cherished dream because she did not have the opportunity to go to school due to financial problems.
Therefore, she was determined not to let financial problems be a hindrance to her son’s education.
“Sometimes when the market is very good, I get about GH₵100 and other times, GH₵50. While in school I sent him money or he could come home for money whenever it became necessary,” she said.
Madam Boatemaa said she felt proud and happy whenever she saw the son because she has been through very hard and tough times, especially when her son was in school.
Madam Comfort Awanu continues to care for her children with love after the death of her husband last year. She salls gari to take care of her four children.
“My husband died leaving behind four children who are between the ages of 5 and 15. I lost the money I was using for my business while he was sick, so I became financially handicapped after he died,” she said.
Madam Awanu, who stays at Awoshie, now buys the gari on credit and sells it to get money for the upkeep of her children who are all in school. Her wish is to make money so that she can establish her own small restaurant because according to her, the money she makes from the sale of gari was not enough for their upkeep.
Madam Grace Quaye lost her husband about 11 years ago and had, since then, been taking care of their two children.
The kenkey seller said she had been in the business for over 12 years, hence, she took care of her two children, who are now 23 and 24 and working.
She said though they could not continue to the university due to financial problems, they were both working at good places and were earning some money for themselves.
The mother of five, Madam Dora Baako has not lost her husband but he was not taking care of the children.
“He divorced me and married another woman but he is not taking care of the children. Therefore, I sell okro to make a living for myself and my family,” she said.
“Two of my children are in the senior high school while the others are in primary school. Meanwhile, I make sales of between GH₵20 to GH₵30 a day,” she said.
The women urged other women who found themselves in similar situations not to give up but to strive to take care of their children because they would not regret it.
They also advised women to continue to give love and care to their children as they have always done and not abandon them, no matter the circumstances.
“No woman should ever leave her child on the street, in everything you do, commitment yourself to it and work hard to ensure that your children are cared for,” they said in their respective statements.
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