Global Fund for Widows

As organisations worldwide celebrate World NGO Day today, GFW is celebrating its staff, a group who have dedicated themselves to helping widows and women-led families build better lives.    Our staff travel long distances, spend extended periods away from their families and work in a subject that contradicts the beliefs of the cultures they were raised in. Despite these difficulties, they maintain their focus, motivated by the individual success stories and a desire to dismantle the systemic barriers women face.   Every GFW staff member is helping to build a world where women are worth more than their marital status and widows no longer face discrimination and stigma because their husbands are deceased.   On World NGO Day, we invite you support the work our staff do. Visit https://lnkd.in/dG7xMtUK to support our work.   #WorldNGODay #CommunityDevelopment #NGOs #ChangeMakers #nonprofitstaff #nonprofits

The Come Together Widows and Orphans Organization (CTWOO)’s Annual Valentine’s Ball is a powerful testimony to the importance of partnership as we work towards widows’ rights, economic inclusion and dignity. This event highlighted the resilience of widows and the importance of partnerships in creating lasting change.   As Otiende Omallo MP so rightly said “To support a widow is to support an entire society.”   Thank you Dianah Kamande, HSC Kamande and CTWOO for your partnership over the years.   #EconomicJustice #InclusiveEconomy #AccessToCapital

33% of the widows we work with at GFW were married as children - many to much older men. The impact of marrying as a girl has lifelong consequences such a poorer health and lower incomes. Furthermore, if a woman is widowed young, she usually lacks the resources - education, income and legal literacy to care for herself and her children. #girlsnotbrides #financialinclusion

Last week, we had the privilege of hosting Wiam El Badri, the Programs Manager at the @Global Fund for Widows, during her visit to Kenya to assess the progress of our ongoing project. We visited four widow-led groups in Meru County and witnessed firsthand the remarkable transformation these women have undergone. Through business and paralegal training, these resilient widows have been empowered to launch sustainable businesses and become aware of their legal rights. The impact is evident — these women now stand strong, both economically and socially. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our dedicated Meru team led by Deputy Program Manager Delvine Awuor, alongside Musau Peter, alex kiogora, Ndung'u K. and all the field officers. Your hard work and commitment are the driving force behind this project's success. Our WISALA project truly is a game changer, and I look forward to seeing even more lives positively impacted as we continue to empower widows across Kenya. #EmpoweringWidows #WISALA #GlobalFundForWidows #Impact #Teamwork.

Why widows? Dalberg Advisors helped us explain. At GFW, we fight economic and social violence against widows - and clearly communicating our impact is essential to showing what’s possible. Dalberg Advisors helped us clarify our data, which helps us convey the challenges widows face – especially when many others do not understand our focus. Their work helps us underscore that of the widows who join GFW in Kenya, Egypt and Tanzania: · 90% live below the poverty line. · 50% are under 39. · One-third were child brides. · All have faced discrimination.

HSBC Egypt and GFW, together, are creating financial inclusion for widows in Egypt’s Upper Governorates through our micro-banking model - Widows Saving Loan Association (WISALAs).   Our three-year partnership will support one thousand widows in Egypt’s Upper Governorates to empower themselves through access to capital, financial and legal literacy and entrepreneurship.   The results so far have been remarkable: widows in the first cohort saw a 279% increase in income, 900% growth in savings, and significant rises in spending on education (304%), food (427%), and healthcare (337%).   Together, HSBC and GFW aim to expand the WISALA model within Egypt and globally. https://lnkd.in/dEMP6-cW

Thank you Jessica Annor for this overview of GFW and the context in which we work. Thank you to Tania Beard and the team at Dalberg Advisors. #inclusiveeconomy #womensfinancialinclusion #youth

With GFW’s Widows’ Savings and Loans Associations (WISALAs), widows are transforming their communities in powerful, tangible ways. As business owners, they’re not just earning a living - they’re creating jobs, supporting local economies and sparking local economic growth.   Their success extends beyond personal gain. With their increased income, they invest in education, healthcare and other community needs for instance, they hire builders, truckers and buying cement to build new homes.   WISALA owners are not only changing their own lives but they are building stronger, more resilient communities and rewriting the social fabric of their communities. #financialinclusion #communitydevelopment #economicgrowth

38 million minus 1 There are an estimated 38 million widows around the world living in poverty but thanks to GFW’s Widows Savings and Loans Associations (WISALAs), Ngaiseri is no longer one of them. With an injection of capital from WISALAs, Ngaiseri owns her own curios business, selling local beadwork and other handcrafts to tourists. She handles international currencies, dollars and euros, daily. Through WISALAs she has become self-sufficient, able to provide for her family and is an inspiration to other women in her community. Every time WISALAs enable one more widow to work her way out of poverty, we chip away at that staggering number – 38 million.   #38MillionMinusOne #WidowsMatter #GlobalFundForWidows #SDG1 #nopoverty #sustainablelivelihoods #endhunger #womanownedbusinesses #togetherwomenrise

38 million minus 1 There are an estimated 38 million widows around the world living in poverty but thanks to GFW’s Widows Savings and Loans Associations (WISALAs), Ngaiseri is no longer one of them. With an injection of capital from WISALAs, Ngaiseri owns her own curios business, selling local beadwork and other handcrafts to tourists. She handles international currencies, dollars and euros, daily. Through WISALAs she has become self-sufficient, able to provide for her family and is an inspiration to other women in her community. Every time WISALAs enable one more widow to work her way out of poverty, we chip away at that staggering number – 38 million.   #38MillionMinusOne #WidowsMatter #GlobalFundForWidows #SDG1 #nopoverty #sustainablelivelihoods #endhunger #womanownedbusinesses #togetherwomenrise