Watermark in Africa

After visiting orphans in the morning, we spent the afternoon with three widow groups we support through ALARM.  The first group we visited was the Cac Pe Yweka (translation “pride in working”) widow group.  We got there two hours late because we spent so much time with the children.  As we reached the turn-off a mile from where the widows lived, we found many of them were waiting at the road!  They had been waiting over two hours to greet us about a mile from their houses, so they could sing and lead us to their homes.

The first songs the 26 women sang were about literacy and the opportunities that literacy provides.  The illiteracy of widows is a massive problem in the area.  Many of the widows own land, and since they have no money, they decide to sell some of the land to financially support themselves (and sometimes children).  For example, if they have five acres, they decide to sell one acre.  When they sign the agreement, the buyer slyly sets the contract to buy all five acres at the agreed upon price for just one acre.

So ALARM’s focus with this group of women is teaching literacy, farming seeds, goats, and a revolving loan account.   We witnessed them go through some of their literacy training exercises.  Now that they know how to read, they are also reading their Bibles.  One lady stood up and read Proverbs 9:1-3 for us, a passage about the priceless nature of wisdom.

ALARM also worked with them to begin farming to provide for their orphaned children.  And these sweet women, wanting to show their appreciation to us, gave us a large bag of millet they had farmed.  Very humbling, reminding me of the story of the Widow’s Mite in Mark 12.

Pray for these women.  Pray that they would continue to learn how to read, which allows them to find life in reading God’s Word.  Pray for their farming and goat efforts, that God would provide abundance for them.

Tomorrow – Another widow group.

The widow groups often have a sign with their group name.

One of the ladies working through the litereacy exercises they practice daily.

One of the ladies reading her Bible for us. She shared Proverbs 9:1-3.

Two of the widows with some of the goats provided by ALARM and Watermark.