Assisting Widows in Crisis: GFA World Empowering Support and Aid
In addition to groups like the Global Fund for Widows, other NGOs seek to take part in assisting widows in the trenches of daily life. GFA World is one of the groups that have been particularly helpful during the pandemic of the past two years, aiding women like Sabela, one of 19 million widows in South Asia living in extreme poverty.
Sabela’s relatives refused to help her after her husband’s death. They scorned her for both being a widow and her Christian faith. Barely able to make enough money to buy food, she couldn’t spend money on items like warm clothing. That’s when Pastor Jabarri, the leader of her church, came to her rescue by organizing a gift distribution of warm blankets for 50 men and women.
“I am a poor widow,” Sabela said. “I could hardly arrange my daily needs. I was unable to purchase a blanket for myself, but today, I thank [the church] for providing me a good-quality and warm blanket. It really helped me greatly to protect myself from [the] cold night.”[1]
In other areas, GFA pastors have undertaken similar efforts. In one community last year, Pastor Zaccheus gathered donations to bless five widows with clothing and food packets containing 11 pounds of rice and 6.5 pounds of wheat flour. In another, a team of four from Sisters of Compassion organized an International Widows’ Day program to visit five widows’ homes to encourage them and pass out grocery kits with soap, 11 pounds of rice, two pounds of beans, and a half quart of oil.[2]
GFA World also equips women, including widows, with tools to help them break out of poverty, such as sewing machines, vocational training, and a literacy program. The latter helps tens of thousands of illiterate women in Asia to better bear life’s burdens.
GFA’s founder, K.P. Yohannan (also known as Metropolitan Yohan), said helping widows to survive the harsh realities of life without their husband, particularly in developing areas of the world, is one of the most rewarding aspects of his work.
“James 1:27 says one of the signs of pure religion before God is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction,” Yohannan said. “We must not only empathize with their plight, but take steps to offer them the kind of practical assistance that will make the rest of their days more bearable.”
Your compassionate support of GFA World’s Widows Ministry is a beacon of hope for these marginalized women who often bear the weight of societal neglect and isolation. Through your financial contributions, you demonstrate Christ’s love in a tangible way, showing these precious souls that they are not forgotten and that there are people who genuinely care about their well-being and happiness.
Learn more about the plight of widows
[1] “A Widow’s Fight Against the Cold.” GFA World. https://gospelforasia-reports.org/2020/11/widows-fight-cold/. November 23, 2020.
[2] “Widows Honored, Not Forgotten During the Pandemic.” Gospel for Asia Updates & Field Reports. https://gospelforasia-reports.org/2021/06/widows-honored-not-forgotten-during-the-pandemic/. June 21, 2021.