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Widows Welfare
Association,
a ministry to the neglected widows and orphans of India, was started by
Ruth Singson. In a country with over 1 billion people, there are currently over
55 million widows. Ruth admits that she would have never have imagined this
mission without the tragedy of her own unexpected widowhood.
"I am a living testimony that God's plans are sometimes much different than
our own,"
says Ruth.
In India, widows are looked down upon as disgraceful, unlucky--even cursed.
When a couple marries, the woman "divorces" her family and lives with her
husbands family. Once the husband dies, relatives take away all of the
property, sell it and divide the profits. They often leave the wife and the
children with nothing. They are left on their own, living sad lives of
destitution and poverty. Many widows turn to street begging or prostitution
to support their families. Even then, widows are not allowed to attend
their own children's weddings because the are so despised in Hindu society.
Ruth, through co-operative churches and the Widows Welfare Association, is
breaking down the barriers between these poor women and the rest of
society. The ministries
focus is winning widows to Christ and helping them find the support they
need to become "new creatures in Christ." Widow's Gospel Camps and retreats
reach many women for Christ. Once these women accept Christ, they are
overjoyed. When they get together, they realize, "I am not alone, these are
my sisters".
The women of Widows Welfare Association distribute clothing and food to the
poorest widows, visit the sick and provide the needed medical treatments.
They also distribute Bibles and provide education for orphans and illiterate
widows.
A widows' home better ministers to the women's needs This place will serve
as a worship center, as well as a shelter to rescue widow and orphans. At
this prototype home, widows are taught ways to support themselves
financially through vocational training.
Dispelling the Myths…
is generally assumed that widows in developing countries, such as India, are
supported by their extended families or by adult sons; that they quickly,
voluntarily re-marry a kin member, and that they are mostly elderly women
cared for in the community
Upon the death
of their husband,
Reality for the Widow is…
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She will rarely inherit his property.
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She will be evicted from their home.
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She is denied the right to remarry.
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She is blamed for her husbands death.
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She is cast out and ostracized.
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She is vulnerable to abuse by male in-laws.
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Her children are often deprived of education
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She is without medical care.
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She is not even recognized in poverty statistics
Hindu Tradition says…Until
modern times, widows were expected to jump on the funeral pyre of their
husbands in a tradition known as "sati", belief was that the wife’s bad
karma caused the death of her husband. The practice was outlawed decades
ago, but cases are still reported today. Arranged marriages with girls as
young as 5 years old, often results in widowhood while she is still a child. |
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Ruth Singson
Ruth's Blog |
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White Rainbow
The widow's
plight in India has been captured by a new movie.
View the
trailer.
Imagine
that a singular event over which you have no control would change your
life in ways more devastating than any you can imagine.
A life
that was once a myriad of colors, now devoid of all ... a white rainbow. |
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