Koforidua, Nov. 5, GNA - The Eastern Regional Minster, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, on Thursday advised widows who are being denied the estates of their deceased husbands to take advantage of PNDC law 111 to protect their right to the estate.

He said the days when spouses and their children were sacked from the estates of their late relations were gone.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said this in a speech read on his behalf at the inauguration of the Salkan Christ Foundation, a foundation for widows, aged and underprivileged children in Koforidua on Thursday.

He urged the group to intensify their advocacy role in Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and ensure that the confidentiality, consent, counselling, right to privacy issues on HIV/AIDS is respected. Nr Ofosu-Ampofo urged the foundation to confront fear based messages, social prejudices and biased attitudes to be able to accommodate people living with HIV/AIDS.

Mrs Gloria Saulbury, President of Widows and Pastors Wives Association of Michigan State, USA, advised members of the foundation to see the death of their partners as another face of life and not the end of life.

The Queen of the New Juaben Traditional Council, Nana Yaa Daani, urged widows not to continue looking up to the families of their late husbands for support but try and find some work to do to support themselves and their children.

She urged the foundation to use their platform to get on board widowers because some of them had also suffered deprivation and neglect. Mrs Lynn Kasingle Darkwa, Vice-President of Students Affairs at the All Nation University College, said lack of care and support for under privileged children often lead them to anti-social vices and therefore called for the institution of facilities to care for the aged, widows and the under privileged.

Mrs Sarah Okantey, Executive Director of Salkan Christ Foundation and National Project Director of Christian Friends of Democracy, said the foundation started with eight women last year but now had over 200 members some of whom were desperate, rejected and were at the point of taking their lives but through the support of the foundation, they had been able to overcome those challenges.

She called for the establishment of a recreational centre for widows with health facilities where they could go to overcome their boredom and neglect and also receive some treatment for stress and other psychological situations that widows often go through.