About Us
The Genesis
South Asian Network for Widows Empowerment in Development (SANWED) as the name itself implies is a network of organizations and individuals working for the most deprived among the under privileged, the widows. The rising incidence of widows in South Asia is an issue of major concern, particularly as in patriarchal communities, the marital status of a woman greatly drives her socio-cultural status and her economic stature. This concern was expressed very strongly by the regional delegates at the two international conferences supported by UN Women (then UNIFEM) and hosted by the Guild of Service “Capacity Building of the Marginalized” in 2002 and “Healing a Hurting World” in 2005. At these conferences the idea of regional cooperation on the issue of widows and widowhood was mooted and received consensus. In 2002 organisations signed the Delhi Declaration that underscored the issue and strategies to change their status in the region.2 SANWED is a collective initiative of and for South Asia to uphold the human right of widows to live a life of dignity, to ensure that they are not socially marginalized, culturally ostracized and economically deprived. SANWED aimed to be a voice for the voiceless in the region highlighting the issue both at national levels and international fora. The alliance
has been spearheading and endorsing resolutions,3 written and oral statements at the sessions of the commission on the Status of Women4 to draw international attention to the issue. The network while becoming a platform for sharing of best practices was also mandated to create the strength of advocacy within the region.
The Mission
To advocate for policy and programs that enable widows to become collective agents of positive change.
The Vision
The vision of SANWED is for widows to enjoy all human rights so that they are not socially marginalized, culturally ostracized and economically deprived.
The Goal
The goal of SANWED is that in each country, a national association of widows’ groups should be established, with branches or member associations in every city, town, village, refugee or IDP camp so that widows can become aware and access their rights and entitlements and participate in decision-making at every level.
The Growth
SANWED had the immense advantage of being guided in the nascent stages by Dr V. Mohini Giri, Founder Chairperson. The Guild of Service and Margaret Owen, Founder President, Widows for Peace through Democracy, both pioneers on the issue of widowhood, who worked relentlessly to bring global attention to this community.
The secretariat was situated in Delhi in the initial stages. After the first two years the secretariat moved to Nepal and was manned very efficiently by the Women for Human Rights (WHR). The secretariat remained with WHR for eight years during which SANWED committee met thrice in Nepal, once in Pakistan and once in Sri Lanka. Three impactful regional conferences and one international conference were hosted by WHR in Nepal taking the lobbying strength of SANWED further. WHR took the lead in advocating very successfully for the issue of widows to be included in the Colombo Declaration of the SAARC nations5. At the Commission on the Status of Women, through oral and written declaration, the focus has been brought on the issue of widows and the growing incidence of poverty among widows globally. The Widows’ Charter was developed and disseminated widely. The Core committee members worked on the Resolution on Widowhood for United Nations Action and was presented to Ms Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director and Under Secretary General UN Women in 2016.
The Secretariat moved to Delhi by consensus in 2020 and is now manned by Guild of Service. In February 2022, The Guild supported by UN Women, War Widows Association and Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia hosted the regional conference of SANWED. One of the outcomes of the conference was the decision to work on a study on the Status of widows in South Asia. The first core committee meeting of the SANWED in the year 2020 was held in Delhi at which it was decided that SANWED literature would carry the following line and bye line: “Widows Empowered: SANWED Giving Dignity, Voice and Well-being”. This was done consciously to underscore widows not as victims at the mercy of family and community but as agents of change and in control of their lives. The second core committee meeting was held virtually on 10th of August 2020 to take stock of the impact of COVID on widows and the rising incidence of widows due to the pandemic. Commemorating the International Widows’ day the SANWED secretariat, in collaboration with UN Women hosted an international webinar “Impact of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns on widows” which focussed on the extreme and multi-layered deprivations that widows faced during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Core Committee Members
SANWED Directory_16Jan23.docx.pdf