WIDOW CARE- SHALOM NAMUTERE COMMUNITY PROJECT RESPONDS TO WIDOWS IN THE COMMUNITY.

We Responded by Inquiring.

As a project, we are careful not to respond to the effects of poverty, but to work daily toward addressing its causes. We observe the economic, political, social, and spiritual systems that contribute significantly to the effects we deal with. But first we needed to listen.

In our first formal meeting on 19th March 2022, we partnered with one of our friend (Doreen) who has been trained in trauma counseling. For the first time, the widows had a chance to talk about their grief. Most of them were very thankful for that chance.

This meeting was to listen to them, appreciate their stories, give them hope, and understand how we could help and support them to thrive. Here is what we found.

a) Their current efforts.

• Small-scale livestock keeping - some raise poultry, ducks, and goats, though only on a limited scale.
• Subsistence farming/day labor - the majority dig to earn a living, either on their own land or by hiring themselves out to dig for others.
• Micro- businesses - a few run small businesses that provide some income, but they are constrained by a lack of capital.
• Support from friends and relatives - some rely on help from friends and family members.
• Informal savings/lending groups -others belong to groups where they can borrow money, though the interest rates charged are high.

b) The challenges they face

• They struggle to pay their children's school fees.
• Many have no land to cultivate, even though they would welcome the chance to farm.
• Some are dealing with serious health problems, including a few who have undergone surgery for various illnesses, while others are living with ongoing health conditions.
• Several face mistreatment from neighbors and their community, having lost the respect and protection they once had through their husbands.
• One woman's farming efforts are repeatedly undermined by monkeys destroying her crops.
• Some have managed to educate their children only to see them graduate into unemployment, with no jobs available afterward.
• Others lack proper shelter.
• Some have been left caring for sick children on their own, struggling to afford the medication and treatment they need.

c) What they think they need

• Some widows have skills they would like to turn into income- mat-making and other craft skills to produce goods for sale.
• Land for rent - those who no longer have land desire to rent so they can farm.
• They proposed to start group savings schemes among themselves, contributing small amounts regularly and sharing out the savings later.
• Small business groups - pooling together to start small business groups, which they hope could be financed with outside support.
• Land for rent - one woman with significant land could rent portions of it out to others for farming.
• Capital injection - others simply need capital to grow the small projects they already have.

We strongly believe that God upholds the widows and invites us to participate in seeking justice and pleading with the widow's cause. These are women who carry the huge burden of raising their children, among other things. Let's keep praying for them and join in any way possible to meet their diverse needs.

The meeting ended with prayer for God's intervention.

                                                                   19th March 2022