Widow's Ministry
Our Widows
One of the most neglected groups of people in today’s African society are the widows. It is estimated that one in ten women in Africa above the age of 14 is widowed. Girls given into forced marriages before the age of 18 and whose older husband dies face life-long impacts from premature marriage and widowhood. Widows face sexual exploitation and through no fault of their own are socially stigmatized and deprived of respect and humanity. This was not the case in historic African culture in which widows lived with their extended families and were honored as elders. But today widows are left to fend for themselves when they are evicted from their homes and lose ownership of their land to their late husband’s male family members. Widows face daunting challenges to survive because they have no training in the skills they need to support themselves or their children.
H.O.P.E. (Hope Offered through
Provision and Evangelism)
1 Timothy 5:5
"She who is truly a widow, left all alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays day and night, asking
God for His help."
The Jan McCray Ministries is committed to taking on the responsibility of caring for widows in the rural areas of Naikarra and Leshuta in Kenya, Africa.
In the early 1980s, after meeting with widow groups in Kenya, Jan McCray felt an overwhelming need to help them. After establishing the Jan McCray Ministries, Inc. in 1985, the widow’s ministry began. Over the years, the JMM has helped widows repair and build homes, has taken care of medical needs, has provided beads for making jewelry to sell, has built a community well and provided water filters, has built a community house for refuge and to host widow seminars, and has provided the basic needs of food and clothing.
Presently the JMM cares for 40 widows each month through our widow’s outreach program. Monthly visits are made by our staff members, Pastor Samuel Koshal and Timothy Koshal, to minister to the widows and their children. Funds are delivered for food and basic necessities, yearly workshops are given to educate the widows so that they can make better decisions for self-efficacy, and the Koshals provide much-needed prayer support and spiritual guidance so that each widow is assured that God loves them and has not forgotten them.
You can make a general donation to the Jan McCray Ministries online or specify that your financial gift is for the widows. Your donation ensures that widows receive the funds and skills needed to support themselves and their children. You can make a one-time donation or please consider an on-going monthly donation. Only $25.00/month provides for the needs of one widow.