Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows
in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.                    - James 1:27

The Widows

India seems to be full of widows. These women are not permitted to remarry, usually not permitted to hold jobs, and considered by their own culture to bring bad luck. If a man sees a widow, it isn't uncommon for him to return home and bathe in order to rid himself of the bad luck he has encountered - a widow can ruin his day. Widows are believed to have been the cause of their husbands' deaths, and therefore the cause of their own outcast position. In rural India, where very young girls are often forced into marriage to older men, it is very likely that they will live many years of their lives as widows. These widows are usually not cared for by their own or their husbands' families, but are left to fend for themselves, which is even more heartbreaking if they have young children.

Sanctuary Home is reaching out to some of the widows in the Tenali area by providing them with $12 per month, which they use to buy rice and avoid begging. We also provide free sewing lessons at Sanctuary Home for young widows, because sewing is a skill a widow can use to support herself from her own home and is socially acceptable. Because Sanctuary Home does not provide housing for any widows, there is an unlimited number who can be sponsored. As of June 2009, 25 widows are supported through Sanctuary Home. If you would like to support a widow, please email amanda@sanctuaryhome.org.