Voluntary Research Assistant

Who we are:

The Widows Empowerment Trust strives to promote social inclusion in the lives of widows, widowers & anyone who has experienced bereavement

What are we looking for: 

We are looking for someone who may aspire to do research in the future or someone who wants to gain research experience and skills. We are looking for highly motivated volunteers for our research project named Culture & Grief Heritage Project (funded by National Lottery). 

What would you be doing:

You will shadow staff members in interviews and will take notes, you may even participate in further questioning. You will be analysing the information and highlighting themes that come up in interviews. You will be provided training on transcription and interviewing skills before starting your tasks. You will also have the opportunity to extend your experience to other areas in the charity if you are interested. 

You will be part of a supportive team that conducts research into West African culture, traditions and rituals surrounding grief. In a country like the UK, many West African bereaved spouses cannot take the culturally appropriate rituals when their spouse passes due to the lack of mindfulness of higher-ups in their communities. Some of our beneficiaries have reported that due to the lack of awareness of their culture, they cannot properly grieve their spouse which creates family tension and mental health issues. Hence, the project’s aim is to raise awareness of the importance of the traditions that West African bereaved spouses must abide by. Moreover, we plan to create material such as leaflets, text and infographics to inform the general community.