Women’s Initiatives project report | Spring 2017

You know that women are strong, courageous, and incredibly valuable to God. But you also know that poverty prevents many women from reaching their God-given potential.

Thank you for giving a second chance to a woman who has been overlooked and mistreated. And thank you for giving her the opportunity to hear how much she is loved by Jesus Christ!

HEALING AND RESTORATION FOR ZEWDIE | Ethiopia

With little access to professional medical care, expectant mothers in Ethiopia often endure days of difficult labor at home. This can lead to a painful and embarrassing condition known as obstetric fistula that will leave a woman — like Zewdie — incontinent for the rest of her life.

Zewdie lived in a remote area of Ethiopia. Married at age 15 and pregnant by 19, she endured seven days of prolonged labor before eventually losing her baby and developing a fistula.

Her community rejected her as unclean, and her husband divorced her not long after she developed the fistula. After living with the fistula for six years, Zewdie had lost hope that she would ever be whole again. Thankfully, she was cured after two surgeries.

Because of your caring heart and generous giving, Zewdie has a bright future and newfound purpose.

“Now I am happy and thankful to the Lord,” she said. “I am free from fistula, and I can participate in community work.” Today, Zewdie teaches women in her area about the importance of delivering their babies in health institutions and receiving medical care during their pregnancies.

A SECOND CHANCE FOR POOK | Thailand

Young women in Thailand are considered financially responsible for supporting their families. This leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and the belief that the sex industry is the only way to make a living … but you are giving them options for a better life.

Your kindness changed everything for Pook, a young woman who used to work in one of Bangkok’s red light districts. To keep her identity safe, we’ve changed her name.

Desperate for another way of life, Pook discovered the Freedom Center that you helped make possible. There she could go to school, be safe from exploitation, and discover God’s love for her.

“The first couple of months it was difficult for me to be there because of the heavy burden of my past life — something was missing,” Pook said. “Then I received a Bible. I read through it and asked God to help me. I went to church every Sunday.”

One day when she felt tired and weak, she remembered a Scripture she had studied with the other girls in the home.

“It said, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,’” Pook recalled. “I desired to open my heart and receive Christ. Since knowing Him, I can feel an attitude change in my daily life. I feel happy to be with other people, and I can share my story with other people.”

Today, Pook is seeking God’s will for her future. She is slowly healing from her painful past, and she is supported and encouraged by other women in the home. And it’s all because of you. Your investment has transformed her life.

HELP CHANGE ANOTHER LIFE

If you hadn’t chosen to act, Zewdie and Pook would still be suffering … trapped in hopeless situations. But, because of you, they now have reason to rejoice! Thank you for choosing to stand up for women who have no voice, and for changing the world — one woman at a time.

You can click here to free a woman from the sex industry, or click here to help mothers in Ethiopia.