Assessing the involvement of the church in mitigating the challenges faced by widows in Nkulumane 12 community.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the involvement of the church in mitigating the challenges faced by widows in Nkulumane 12 suburb of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. The case study was guided by the following objectives: to assess the programs, policies and activities of the church, to establish the impact of the patriarchal society, customary law and illiteracy of widows in Nkulumane 12 and to identify the gaps that exist in intervention measures set out to mitigate the challenges of widows by the church. This research assesses the involvement of the churches in Nkulumane 12 in mitigating the plight of widows. A qualitative research design was used and a case study as the methodology in the churches situated in ward 20 Nkulumane 12. The researcher employed purposive sampling technique to be able to get information that will satisfy the needs of the study. A total of 32 participants made up the study sample and these included church leaders and widows. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and questionnaires; and content analysis method was used. Results of the study prove that to some extent the church plays a critical role in mitigating the challenges. It was uncovered that more intervention strategies could be set in place with education and sensitisation of church leaders. The study recommended that the church sets up an open door policy for easy access to counselling services and to set up structures to teach and sensitise all church members about wills and their administration.