When a woman is widowed in Malawi, she faces a future without hope. She loses her friends, her family, and has no hope for a future for her children. In Malawian culture, many widows have no support of any kind - no friendships, no family relationships, and no help with practical needs. Because they are widows, their former friends and extended family view them as a burden. The government of Malawi does not provide any programs to help widows or their children. Even within the church, there are very few programs to support or help widows in their distress. Because of this, many Malawian widows turn to unhealthy practices to regain hope. They may marry a man who already has a wife and become a second wife, but only for the purpose of stability. These marriages are not good marriages. The children of the widow in this situation will not be accepted by the new husband, which leads to many problems. The children may be given to an orphanage or sent to the streets to live on their own. They won’t receive an education or the love and support that they need as children. This leads to many boys leading a life of crime and substance abuse. It also leads to many girls marrying very young - sometimes as young as 14. These marriages often end in early pregnancy and many of the young girls die in childbirth. These child marriages are not for love and the girls are not treated well. By giving the widow emotional, spiritual, and practical help, it empowers her to not only care for herself, but also for her children and their future. Hope for Widows in Malawi has two specific ways in which we aim to help widows experience strong future for themselves and their children. First, we do this by helping them connect and uphold one another through prayer and support by creating a support network of widows who will band together to care for one another. This helps meet the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of these women and their families who have been cut off from friends and family. Additionally, we also empower them to rise up and find hope again through business training skills and micro-loans which create business opportunities for the widows. This includes bringing in experienced professionals to teach them how to run a profitable business and giving them the skills they need to run that business. The businesses may include reselling produce or household items, or creating handcrafts to sell. Every business has a start-up cost for the materials or items to sell, so Hope for Widows in Malawi will also provide micro-loans to the widows so that they can begin their businesses. These businesses will allow them to become self-sufficient and provide not only food and shelter for their children but also an education and a future.
