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{"id":32178,"date":"2024-06-21T05:38:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T05:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gospelforasia\/?p=32178"},"modified":"2025-01-16T05:06:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T05:06:56","slug":"veil-on-suffering-of-invisible-widows-lifted-by-gfa-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gospelforasia\/2024\/06\/veil-on-suffering-of-invisible-widows-lifted-by-gfa-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Veil on Suffering of ‘Invisible’ Widows Lifted by GFA World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

WILLS POINT, TX \u2014 GFA World is lifting the veil on the incredible suffering of millions of \u201cinvisible\u201d widows<\/a> around the world \u2014 many even cast off by their own families.<\/p>\n

In many places, widows face extreme hardships, abuse, exploitation and sexual violence.<\/p>\n

Even their own families show them \u201clittle or no mercy,\u201d according to GFA World (www.gfa.org<\/a>), a faith-based organization that helps rescue widows suffering abandonment and neglect.<\/p>\n

"No

RESCUING \u2018INVISIBLE\u2019 SUFFERING WIDOWS: <\/strong>Organizations like Texas-based GFA World (www.gfa.org) are helping widows in \u201cforgotten corners\u201d<\/a> of Africa and Asia where they\u2019re struggling to survive in societies that show them little or no mercy.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n***
** \u201cMany (widows) end up as beggars and are often exploited for slave labor or are sex trafficked,\u201d said Bishop Daniel Timotheos (Yohannan), the organization\u2019s vice president. \u201cIn some cultures, widows are treated as outcasts, disowned by even their closest family members and thrown out of their home when their husband dies.\u201d<\/p>\n
** International Widows\u2019 Day on June 23 draws attention to their suffering \u2014 a plight the United Nations says is largely \u201cinvisible\u201d to the world.<\/p>\n
** According to the U.N., out of approximately 258 million widows worldwide, nearly one-in-10 live in extreme poverty, often forcing them to beg or engage in sex work.<\/p>\n
** Huge numbers of women are widowed due to conflict and war. In some parts of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for example, it\u2019s reported that a staggering 50% of women are widows. In Iraq, there are some three million widows; in Kabul, Afghanistan, more than 70,000 in a single city.<\/p>\n
** ***During armed conflicts, many widows are raped, mutilated and infected with the HIV virus, the U.N. reports.<\/p>\n

Cruel Rituals<\/h3>\n*****
** \u201cWidows are coerced into participating in degrading and even life-threatening traditional practices as part of burial and mourning rites,\u201d the U.N. says. \u201cRites may involve sexual relations with male relatives, shaving of the hair and scarification.\u201d<\/p>\n
** *****Organizations like GFA World are helping widows in \u201cforgotten corners\u201d of Africa and Asia where they\u2019re \u201cstruggling to survive in societies that show little or no mercy toward them,\u201d Timotheos (Yohannan) said.<\/p>\n

The Texas-based organization provides food, clothing, shelter, medical care<\/a>, income-generating farm animals, literacy classes, and vocational training \u2014 giving desperate widows hope.<\/p>\n

\u2018Rejected By Her Own Daughter\u2019<\/h3>\n*****
** Mysie, a 56-year-old widow, showed up in Pastor Surin\u2019s village in Asia after being driven out of her home. Even her own daughter had no pity on her. For three years, she drifted from village to village, begging, digging for food scraps in garbage piles, and sleeping rough.<\/p>\n
** \u201cBut God had not forgotten her,\u201d Timotheos (Yohannan) said.<\/p>\n
** A member of the local church built her a simple two-room mud house, right next-door to a family that helps look after her. GFA World supports thousands of village churches like Pastor Surin\u2019s.<\/p>\n
** \u201cEverything we do is wrapped in the hope that is found in the love of Christ,\u201d Timotheos (Yohannan) said.<\/p>\n
** *****\n
About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

GFA World<\/a> is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, over 40,000 clean-water wells drilled since 2007, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 150,000 needy families, and teaching to provide hope and encouragement in 110 languages in 14 nations through broadcast ministry. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda<\/a>. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https:\/\/gfanews.org\/news<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more details and to arrange an interview, contact: Gregg Wooding<\/a> @ 972-567-7660<\/a> or gwooding@inchristcommuications.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong> GFA World Digital Media Room, \u2018No Mercy:\u2019 Texas Mission Lifts Veil on Suffering of \u2018Invisible\u2019 Widows<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more on Widows<\/a> on Patheos from Gospel for Asia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews<\/a>, ChristianPost<\/a>, NYPost<\/a>, MissionsBox<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WILLS POINT, TX \u2014 GFA World is lifting the veil on the incredible suffering of millions of \u201cinvisible\u201d widows around the world \u2014 many even cast off by their own families. In many places, widows face extreme hardships, abuse, exploitation and sexual violence. Even their own families show them \u201clittle or no mercy,\u201d according to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3047,"featured_media":32181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[695],"tags":[3417,3420,3063,587,779,776],"class_list":["post-32178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens-issues","tag-bishop-daniel-timotheos-yohannan","tag-daniel-yohannan","tag-danny-yohannan","tag-gfa-world","tag-widowhood","tag-widows"],"yoast_head":"\nNo Mercy: Texas Mission Lifts Veil on Suffering of Invisible Widows<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Global mission organization, GFA World, is lifting the veil on the incredible suffering of millions of\u00a0"invisible" widows\u00a0around the world\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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