June 23rd is International Widows Day and since we have a widows project with the Maasai, I wanted to send out some resources to encourage prayer and support of widows today.  ~ James 1:27 - Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for...widows in their distress...


CMF WIDOWS PROJECT

The Widows Project

• Country: Tanzania
• Project Type: CHE, community development, Microfinance

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Selei was the fourth wife of her husband, so when he died recently, as the youngest widow, she was left with nothing. She now has no husband, no livestock and no land to farm. She also has no way to generate income to feed her four precious children.  

Thanks to the ministry of the Oloserian church, Selei now has two things she didn't have before: faith in Christ and hope for the future through her involvement in The Widows Project.  Selei is one of 30 widows selected to participate in The Widows Project with the purpose of elevating the quality of life of destitute widows, increasing the involvement of the local church in caring for widows and caring for orphans by caring for widows, as many of these widows are caring for their orphaned grandchildren.

Using a Biblically based training program and small group accountability, each widow receives a year’s worth of food and basic necessities, customized business training and seed funds to start a sustainable, income generating business to support their families and send their children to school. 

While there are many confusing verses in the Bible, one verse is clear: “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress. . .” (James 1:27, NLT).  For only $300, one widow can be cared for in a way that will enable her to care for her family in the future.  Your gift today can make this possible for Selei and other women like her.

Beautiful Salei

THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION

International Widows Day

International Widows Day takes place every year on 23rd June. It was initially launched by the Loomba Foundation at the House of Lords in London in 2005. The date, 23 June, was chosen because on this day Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, the inspiration for the Foundation, became a widow. 

International Widows Day (IWD) is a global day of focus for effective action to raise awareness and help widows and their children around the world who are suffering through poverty, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, conflict and social injustice. There are an estimated 245 million widows and 500 million children in the world, together with their family members the number is well over a billion people. Through no fault of their own they lose their husband or father and continue to suffer for the rest of their lives through stigma, discrimination and poverty.

On the 22nd December 2010 at the 65th UN General Assembly, the United Nations recognised 23rd June as International Widows Day.

Why the UN recognised International Widows Day:

Why the UN recognised International Widows Day – 23rd June

• 245 million widows and over 500 million children suffer in silence worldwide
• Over 115 million widows live in poverty struggling to survive
• Many of these women and their children are malnourished, exposed to disease, and subjected to extreme forms of deprivation
• Widowed women experience targeted murder, rape, prostitution, forced marriage, property theft, eviction, social isolation, and physical abuse
• 1.5 million widows’ children in the world die before their fifth birthday
• Children of widows face horrors such as child marriage, illiteracy, loss of schooling, forced labour, human trafficking, homelessness and sexual abuse
• HIV/AIDS, armed conflict and poverty are amongst the most prolific causes of widowhood
• Persecution and abuse against widows and their children is not a crisis limited to the developing world, large groups of widows can also be found in Europe, including Russia and Central Asia
• Widows in developed countries face social isolation and commonly live with severe insecurity and poverty due to lack of affordable health care and employment

GOSPEL FOR ASIA

On June 23, Gospel for Asia missionaries will hold special programs in honor of International Widows' Day. Continuing their everyday efforts to help some of the most abused and neglected women of Asia, missionaries will provide free medical checkups, meals, income-producing animals and other gifts to let these women know Christ loves them. Learn more about our outreach to widows on June 23 and throughout the year.

myGFA - Transform a Widow's Bleak Future

By raising funds for widows, you can help women at the bottom of society have a chance to experience God's love in both word and deed. Find out more about our myGFA widow's campaign tool.

International Widows' Day Photo Contest

June 23 is International Widows' Day. Take a few moments to check out nine thought-provoking photos of some widows in South Asia, and then vote for your favorite photo.

Pray for the Widows of South Asia

Many widows in South Asia endure lives of poverty and utter hopelessness. They yearn to know that someone loves them. Here are a few ways you can pray for the widows of South Asia.

Video Clip from "Veil of Tears: Hope Is on the Way"

Watch a short clip from "Veil of Tears: Hope Is on the Way" that shares the story of Netramani, a widow in South Asia.

INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION

Today is International Widows Day and we believe widows deserve a defender. Just last week, our staff in Uganda stopped a powerful man from throwing Mary out of her tiny home. Now safe, she told us, “Thank you for fighting this fight for me!” 

Let’s END property grabbing & violence