What's it all about?
It was originally launched at the House of Lords in London in 2005. The June 23rd date was chosen to honor an woman, Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, who became a widow on June 23, 1954 at the age of 37 and single-handledly raised and educated her 7 children. In 2010 the United Nations recognised 23rd June as International Widows Day." (from the Loomba Foundation website)
The Loomba Foundation is a charity recognized by the United Kingdom and has sister charities in the US and India. It's not a Christian missionary organization, but according to their website the purpose is "Education of children of poor widows and socio-economic empowerment of their mothers is at the heart of the Loomba Foundation." They also "actively advocate to promote the fundamental freedoms and human rights of widows and their children around the world."
How can Christians be involved?
Every day is International Widows Day for many Christian missions! From the inception of Israel in the Old Testament to the beginning of the church in the New Testament, God made it clear that widows were to be cared for in their times of need. Listed below are a few Christian organizations that I personally know of who reach out to widows. Feel free to add others you know of in the comments today. Do not send or ask me for any money for widows, as I am just a private citizen and not set up to handle or distribute donations. My policy is to always refer people to their local church for aid.
Gospel for Asia supports national missionaries who already live in the culture, thus cutting the costs of educating, transporting and acclimating Western workers. Your donation dollars are maximized.
Widow Connection, led by Miriam Neff nurtures widows groups here in the US and she's also able to help widows in Africa and other places too! Please visit her website and see if the Lord would have you join her.
Widows also benefit from Christian relief organizations like Samaritans Purse. Visit their website and read the stories of what your sisters around the world go through as their counties are overrun by armies or natural disasters. I'm so thankful for disaster relief organizations, and for the time I myself spent with a Southern Baptist disaster relief team. If you need to shake off your grief---you will not only be blessed by joining a disaster relief team, but you'll also be a blessing to the widows you meet!
She Is Safe ministers exclusively to women and girls, because they are the poorest of the poor throughout the world. I first met the leader of this organization in 2004 or 2005, and have followed their growth and compassion ever since. Please explore their website and get involved. "She Is Safe works to prevent, rescue and restore women and girls from abuse and exploitation in high risk places around the world, equipping them to build a life of freedom, faith and a strong future."
Thanks for checking out these groups with me today. I hope you'll be moved to look into them further and reach out to widows around the world.
♥ ferree
