“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress … ” James 1:27
 

CARING FOR WIDOWS Smile International has been working with widows and their families since its foundation in March 2000. Starting with the victims of ethnic cleansing in Kosova in 1999, our work has expanded and we now care for the widows and families of HIV/AIDS victims in Africa and those left traumatised and homeless from the tsunami in Sri Lanka. We have supplied humanitarian aid, including clothing and blankets, rebuilt houses, provided cows, seeds, sewing machines and tools to help them to restart their lives.

Sponsor A Widow leaflet PDF (191 KB) This leaflet includes the Sponsor A Widow form

WHY THEY NEED YOUR HELP Each culture is different and attitudes to women and widowhood vary. Many widows are still young but are struggling to cope from day to day with enormous challenges and live in extreme poverty. In the Balkans, for example, many women do not know if their loved ones are dead or alive. In Africa, the stigma of HIV/AIDS can mean social isolation. In Sri Lanka, widows living in temporary or slum housing are denied basic services and some are abused by relatives.

Despite the different climates, many of the needs are the same. In the Balkans they have to cope with severe winters, with temperatures dropping down to -22°C and even in warmer countries, night-time temperatures can be very cold. Families often live in one room without glass in the windows and with only bare concrete or earth floors. Most have nowhere to turn. Will you help us to help them rebuild their self-esteem by joining our “Sponsor a Widow” project? Your sponsorship of: £15 per month will provide food £20 per month will provide food and wood for heating & cooking £25 per month will provide food, wood for heating & cooking, and healthcare

Aid for widows in Sri Lanka

BECOMING A SPONSOR

Our Sponsor A Widow leaflet contains the sponsor and/or gift form, which you can download (Sponsor A Widow leaflet PDF (320 KB) or request from the Smile office. To become a sponsor simply complete the form and return it to the Smile office. As a sponsor you will receive:

• A photo
• A short biography
• Information about their country
• Six-monthly news

By sponsoring a widow, you will be making a tangible difference to them and their families. Not only will it provide basic essentials, it will also help develop long-term solutions that restore their dignity and self-respect.

   
Sponsoring a widow also helps the children – Inadequate housing in Zimbabwe

LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS

Your sponsorship will help a widow by providing the basic necessities, but it will also help develop long-term solutions, for example, setting up income generation schemes. Many widows want to earn an income for themselves that restores their dignity and self-respect. We offer English language, IT and skills training at our Smile Centres to help to equip the widows for employment. In one village, we have a scheme to lend out our Smile tractor and tools to enable them to cultivate a small plot of land, to grow produce for their families and to sell the surplus. We are continually evaluating and developing projects to help widows and families earn a living.

On the Smile trip to Zimbabwe in March 2008 we were able to distribute sewing machines and chickens to widows, to enable to them earn a living. You can provide finance for both of these items, and many more, under under our Gifts With Love scheme. Thank you to all those who contributed to these gifts – they are greatly valued and appreciated by the widows and their families, and will bring glory and praise to God, through the faithfulness of his people, for many years to come.

The horror of the conflict in Kosova has long since disappeared from our television screens, but many widows and their children are still living in appalling conditions, as they have lost their menfolk and cannot afford to repair their homes. Smile is continuing to help these widows, both young and old, by repairing their homes and providing aid for their families – clothes, shoes, blankets, food, toys, toiletries, etc. Local craftsmen are hired for building and repair work, thus providing employment and helping the local economy. Smile teams regularly help with the repair and decoration of the widow's homes, using their skills in this area to bring the love of Jesus to those in great need and distress.

Smile has purchased a tractor, trailer and plough for Roza and family in the village of Brekov, which will enable them to collect water and take produce to the local market. There are many widowed families that need help to bring their land and farms back into productive use, after the loss of their menfolk in the Kosovan conflict. You can support our agricultural programme by donating towards a tractor through our Gifts With Love scheme, to the benefit of the families as well as the wider community.  We also have agricultural training days at the Smile Centre for the widows and if you have farming experience, you may wish to use your skills on a Smile ministry trip.