Breaking the Poverty Cycle: Inclusion of Widows and Their Dependents
March 15, 2024 at 8.30 am
8th Fl, 777 United Nations Plaza, NYC Church Center for the U.N. (CCUN)
Speakers:
Dianah Kamande, founder of Come Together Widows Organization
Ms. Kamande is a devoted activist against Gender-Based Violence prompted by her traumatizing experience as a survivor. She is a widow passionate about widow’s rights and empowerment. She is the founder of ComeTogether Widows Organization. Her passion for widows’ empowerment propelled her to organize widows of Kenya into small groups in every ward to enable them to access funding. She also realized the gender gaps contributing to widows’ abuse and drafted a Bill to bridge the Gaps. She has also linked the widows’ groups with the Ministry for Gender to help widows get a platform to articulate their issues. In December 2018, she was feted by President Uhuru Kenya with a Head of State Commendation (HSC).She has also won local and international awards such as the Above & Beyond Award by Black Women Widows Organization in North Carolina, USA, Global Goodwill Ambassador by Atlanta Georgia, USA, I Am Africa Award by I Am Africa Community, Dakar, Senegal, Unwavering Advocacy Award by Global Fund for Widows, New York, USA, Life Time Achievement Award by Top Women inBusiness, Kenya and Changing Lives for Better Excellence Award by Ladies of AllNations International, UK. She is currently pursuing a degree in Governance, Peace and Conflict Studies at Africa Nazarene University and holds a diploma in Women in Leadership and Governance in Africa from UoN.
Margaret Owen, OBE, Founder of Widows for Peace through Democracy
Margaret Owen is an experienced human rights lawyer who specializes in advocating for women’s rights, with a particular focus on regions affected by conflict and fragility. Her work also encompasses the rights of widows, migrants, refugees, and women living in societies marked by racism and misogyny. She is the founder, former Director and now President of the London based NGO Widows for Peace through Democracy (WPD). She has been a stalwart campaigner for widows' rights for over 30 years.
Elena Saenz Feehan, Director of Programs and Advocacy at Global Fund for Widows
Elena Saenz Feehan is the Director of Programs and Advocacy at Global Fund for Widows (GFW), the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering widows and female heads of households. As the Director of Programs and Advocacy, Ms. Saenz Feehan oversees the operations of GFW’s Country Programs while championing the rights of widows at the local, national, and international levels. Before her role at GFW, she worked as the Program Manager for Peace, Security, and Defense at Friends of Europe, a leading, independent think tank based in Brussels. She also served as a member of the board at Women in International Security (WIIS) Brussels, an organization dedicated to advancing the leadership and professional development of women in the field of international peace, security, and defense. Ms. Saenz Feehan holds a bachelor’s degree in Political and Public Administration Sciences, and a master’s degree in International Conflict Studies from King’s College London. She speaks English and Spanish.
Emelda Ndinjiakat, Founder of Grace Gardens Women’s Health Association
Emelda Ndinjiakat holds an Associate Degree in Law and Political Science from Dschang University-Cameroon and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Texas atArlington (UTA). Emelda is currently enrolled in the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner- Acute Care (PNP-AC) program at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Her ultimate goal is to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Oncologist. She belongs to the following Honor Societies: Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Lambda, and Golden Key International.
As the treasurer and Board of Director of Faith Gardens Medical Foundation International (FGMFI), a pediatric nurse, and a cervical cancer survivor, Emelda is both diligent in advocating for the sick and educating women in medically underserved regions of the world about female cancers and preventive healthcare. She started the Foundation together with her husband Dr. Samuel Ndinjiakat in 2013 and three years later, Grace Gardens Hospital Ndop-Cameroon was created under the FGMFI. Emelda’s main area of practice has been pediatric nursing for the past 13 years, but she became passionate about women’s health and the plight of widows after her cervical cancer diagnosis in 2019.
After going through three major surgeries and multiple rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, Emelda has made it her lifelong goal to educate women across the globe, mostly in Africa her continent of origin. She spearheaded the creation of Grace Gardens Women's Health Association (GGWHA) in June 2021after her first Breast and Cervical Cancer Conference in Ndop-Cameroon and eventually created Widows of Grace (WoG) in 2022. Today, the Association has over 300 registered women and 106 widows who meet twice a month at Grace Gardens Hospital. The women are being taught how to make local soap, antiseptic soap, glycerin, bleach, perfume, and vaseline and take care of their health from the proceeds. Emelda is married to her wonderful husband Dr. Samuel Ndinjiakat who is the Founder/CEO of Faith Gardens Medical Foundation International and together, they have six amazing children. Samuel Jr., Princess, Leilani, Jesse, Nathan & Leah. In her spare time, she loves to travel to learn about other cultures, watch Korean dramas, and socialize with close friends and family.