Founder of WiCare Lekota Foundation, Diane Kalu has called for action to end discrimination against widows in the country.

Kalu made this appeal at this year’s Young Widows Entrepreneurship Empowerment Forum (YOWEEF) conference in Lagos.

The annual event aimed to sensitize young widows in the society towards self-reliance, wealth creation and also promote  the importance of entrepreneurial and leadership skills which contribute towards socio-economic development activities in the country.

Kalu urged the government to support widows by kicking off anti–discrimination campaign.

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“I especially love this year’s theme, ‘The empowered widow’ because many widows are persuaded to remain invisible by way of complying with the stereotypes. The society is most times uncomfortable with a woman who speaks up or stands her ground, talk more of a widow who is resilient enough to launch out after experiencing loss.

“The government must take action to eradicate the stereotyping of widows so they can forget the pain of losing their loved ones,” she said.

While motivating the over 150 widows, Kalu said she realized that power is available to everyone when she lost her husband in 2015.

“Power is available to everyone, no matter your position or title. This discovery and acceptance are what changed my life when I got widowed in 2015 with three young children. It felt as though I was in the desert with no map but I knew there had to be more to me than just widowhood and self-pity.”