Did you know .... There are an estimated 258 million widows around the world, and nearly one in ten live in extreme poverty. In some parts of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, for instance, it is reported that around 50 per cent of women are widows. Widows are coerced into participating in harmful, degrading and even life-threatening traditional practices as part of burial and mourning rites. Poverty No access to credit or other economic resources, even for childcare