Tonight, I'm thinking of 2 more widows I met while in Uganda... One is Ruth.
Ruth's husband died 13 years ago of Aids and shortly afterward, she started getting sick.
After getting worse and worse, she went to the hospital, did the test and found out that she also was HIV+.
She's got 6 children. The ones that are still with her at the moment are 14-year-old twin girls and 15-year-old twin girls - you can imagine what she would have gone through in the last years, trying to raise her girls - she's also got 2 older ones - one who's 18.
There is NO financial help for a widow in Uganda - life is tough!
I met her one day when she came to see Judith (local YWAMer who's reaching out to the ladies), desperate because one of her daughters had been sent home from school that day because she wasn't able to pay the school fees.
I also found out that her now 18-year-old daughter had a baby 3 years ago.
She dropped him off at her mom's place and pretty much disappeared.
He's severely handicapped - three years old now!
She carried him to the HIV support group where we were able to meet him, too, and pray for him. A friend in NZ had given me some money to give to a needy child, and HE was the one I felt we should designate the money for.
I really feel for her! Taking care of a special needs child in NZ can be a challenge, but there's SOOO much support! There is NO support in Uganda!
I don't know how these women do it.
They are VERY resilient, courageous and hard-working -
trusting in GOD!
WOW!
Ruth's husband died 13 years ago of Aids and shortly afterward, she started getting sick.
After getting worse and worse, she went to the hospital, did the test and found out that she also was HIV+.
She's got 6 children. The ones that are still with her at the moment are 14-year-old twin girls and 15-year-old twin girls - you can imagine what she would have gone through in the last years, trying to raise her girls - she's also got 2 older ones - one who's 18.
There is NO financial help for a widow in Uganda - life is tough!
I met her one day when she came to see Judith (local YWAMer who's reaching out to the ladies), desperate because one of her daughters had been sent home from school that day because she wasn't able to pay the school fees.
I also found out that her now 18-year-old daughter had a baby 3 years ago.
She dropped him off at her mom's place and pretty much disappeared.
He's severely handicapped - three years old now!
She carried him to the HIV support group where we were able to meet him, too, and pray for him. A friend in NZ had given me some money to give to a needy child, and HE was the one I felt we should designate the money for.
I really feel for her! Taking care of a special needs child in NZ can be a challenge, but there's SOOO much support! There is NO support in Uganda!
I don't know how these women do it.
They are VERY resilient, courageous and hard-working -
trusting in GOD!
WOW!
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