In sub-Saharan Africa, women represent a large share of the workforce, but that does not mean that they have secure, decent jobs. Women typically receive less pay than men receive and hold less secure jobs than men hold. The majority of women throughout the continent work in agriculture and in vulnerable jobs such as subsistence farming or as unpaid family workers. They have little or no financial security or social benefits. Because of their circumstances, widows find the task of providing for themselves and their children a daunting challenge.
The Widows Program gives African widows and impoverished women of the church a means of employment and artistic expression through the making of handcrafts. To support the widows in their efforts to care for their families, Rafiki has collaborated with African Partner Denomination churches to provide the women with an alternative avenue of economic opportunity. The African churches provide leadership, spiritual discipleship (through the use of the Rafiki Bible Study) and a location for the widows to fashion products such as baskets, jewelry, handbags, and wall hangings. Rafiki purchases the handcrafts, ships them, and sells them through the Rafiki Exchange in Eustis, Florida.
• Pray that God will grant success to this program.• Watch for the arrival of the widows’ products on the Rafiki website.• Support these needy women through the purchase of their handcrafts.