A widow’s life is never something one would choose. It is a painful, lonely road - one that stretches across time and space, touching every culture in different ways. But in some places, widowhood is more than grief; it is a stripping away of identity, security, and dignity.
I never fully understood this reality until I walked beside one of my best friends and ministry partners in Kenya after the tragic accident that took her husband’s life. I had known widowhood in my own way, but I had never imagined what it looked like in a culture where loss is not just mourned but questioned - where a woman can suddenly find herself an outcast, no longer certain of her place in the world.
Even as a Christian, she was not immune to the deeply rooted customs surrounding widowhood. Though she was not forced into traditional rituals, there was an unspoken uncertainty about how she would now be seen. Who would still welcome her? Who would turn away? Who would expect her to be inherited by another man? Would she lose her voice in the very ministry she had helped build?
These were not just abstract fears. They were the lived reality of so many widows before her - women who had lost not only their husbands but their homes, their rights, and their ability to make choices for their own lives. In this culture, a widower does not face these questions. He does not wonder if he will be cast out, if his presence will bring discomfort, or if he will still have a seat at the table. But for a widow, everything is uncertain.
This is why we do what we do. This is why we build homes - not just as shelters but as symbols of security, a place where a widow is safe and belongs. This is why we walk alongside these women, offering mentorship and leadership development, ensuring that they are not just recipients of aid but empowered to shape their own futures.
I have watched as widows reclaim their dignity. I have seen them rise, not just for themselves but for their children, whose futures often hang in the balance. When a widow is given stability, her children are fed, they stay in school, and they see what it means to stand strong in the face of loss.
This is more than charity. It is justice. It is restoration. And it is the very heart of the Gospel.
Would you stand with us? Would you help ensure that no widow walks this journey alone?