On International Widows Day, Ministry Reaches Out to Forgotten Women
Giving widows hope today and hope for eternity
Monday was International Widows Day, and a Texas-based ministry gave assistance and hope to those in need in Asia and Africa.
“Millions of widows live in societies where they’re considered a curse, shunned, abused and abandoned,” said Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan, president of GFA World. “They’re often blamed or neglected for their husband’s death, regardless of the circumstances.”
The ministry supports specially trained national missionaries called Sisters of the Cross, including those who serve forgotten widows on an isolated island. Many widows living there lost their husbands in the perilous fishing waters that surround the island. Alone and cut off from the mainland, they struggled to survive. The Sisters have forged deep friendships with them, living among them, and showing them the love of God.
What GFA provides
GFA World provides food, shelter and farm animals that help generate income. The impact has been transforming, creating mother-daughter-type bonds between the older widows and younger missionaries. It’s a model for the organization’s widow ministry in other parts of the world where millions of widows are overlooked and even despised.
Across Africa and Asia, many older widows are forced to scavenge or beg to survive, while younger widows may be forced into prostitution or exploited for slave labor. Stigma, shame and despair can drive many to suicide. Globally, it’s estimated there are more than 258 million widows and that 38 million of them live in extreme poverty. The annual International Widows Day aims to put their plight front and center.
- In Nigeria, widows were locked in a room with their husbands’ corpses and forced to shave their own heads in a ritual of shame.
- In Afghanistan, outcast widows had to establish their own colony on a hillside above a cemetery, cut off from mainstream life.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, widows can be forced to take part in abusive cleansing rituals, including having sex with relatives of their dead husband
- Across Africa and Asia, widows often lose everything after their husband dies, including their home and possessions
“As tragic as their situation is, the greatest tragedy is that millions of widows worldwide have never heard that God loves them,” Bishop Daniel said. “We’re dedicated to giving widows hope today and hope for eternity.”
More information is available at www.gfa.org.
–Lee Hartman
