In the first week of February 2021, at Catherine Hope Foundation, we conducted our Widows Welfare Programme for some of the widows around Ennore and Ernavur. Nine elderly widows attended the Programme at our Center. We had a wonderful day of interaction, where each of them spoke about their life and shared their stories with us, which moved us and all the others.

We spoke about CHF and Catherine, and we wanted to hear about their experiences as well. After their spouses passed away, the majority of them were abandoned by their children. Even in their old age, they run small businesses and look after themselves.Some are flower vendors, while others create small delicacies like murukku and sweets and sell them to make a livelihood. Some women rely on charity to survive. They are all abandoned by their families.

Logu, 85 years old, earns her living by selling flowers on the streets. She does not always get paid, even if it's a small amount. In her old age, she has no one to look after her.

Rukmani, 82 years old, lost her husband four years ago. She is living with her son, a differently-abled person. Despite all these tough times, she is living her life with great faith in God and also praying for others.

Selvi, 51 years old, is a widow abandoned by her own son. She used to work as a housemaid but now, due to covid, she lost all her jobs and does not have any means of income.

Towards the end of the session, we all had chicken biryani, and we gave them a month’s worth of groceries, and   new saree and a steel vessel each. It was a memorable day for everyone at CHF.