The International Federation of Widows and Widowers' Associations (FIAV) is entering a time of change and new challenges in the face of difficulties in attracting new membership, its international conference was told yesterday.
Its president, Ms Joan Towle, at the opening of its international conference, said the organisation had reached a turning point, and the direction taken at its seminars and discussions was very important. She said there were signs that widows' associations were not having an easy time in many countries. Maybe it was because the members were not so young, or that there were many new types of families where partners did not marry, or where there was divorce.
In Belgium there was increased demand for support for widows, but fund-raising was down. In South Africa the widows caring service had closed. One of the reasons given was that women were much more independent than 35 years ago.
Ms Towle said FIAV had held its own financially and had tackled its aims in education, solidarity and promotion. But the organisation was facing a dilemma. They had to look at whether it had succeeded so well that there was no need for it, or whether it needed different aims.
"My hope for the conference is that interest will spread and there will be a cascade of information," she said.
However, delegates called on the conference not to be despondent. They considered that the workshops over the next two days would provide something concrete in what the organisations were looking for.
One delegate said that while she was aware that associations had declined in Europe, there was a lot to be done in Africa.
FIAV has been in existence for 20 years, and Dublin is hosting the 8th international conference which continues until tomorrow. It is formed from 14 full members (national organisations from countries in Europe, the US and Canada) and 95 regional groups, in addition to 14 non-paying organisations.
The National Association of Widows in Ireland (NAWI), which is hosting the conference, has 45 branches with more than 20,000 members. It had representatives at Dublin Castle yesterday, including FIAV's vice-president, Ms May Clancy. NAWI was founded in January 1967 by a group of Dublin widows and today acts as a lobby group. There are more than 150,000 widows in Ireland.
Yesterday the conference was attended by delegates from France, Portugal, Belgium, the US, Canada, Malta and African countries, as well as Britain and Northern Ireland.
Last night delegates attended a State reception in Dublin Castle, hosted by the Minister for Social Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern. The Minister stressed that many people were not aware that a widow's or widower's pension may be payable even where the applicant is in employment.
He said it was his intention to ensure that information on entitlements was easily accessible to all, including widows and widowers who may find themselves in a distressing situation following a bereavement.