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< Back Spiritual Groups Loneliness and isolation is prevalent in the day to day toil in our dear women’s lives. A sense of hopelessness and fear often prevails because life is hard. In 2019, it was decided amongst the women to create small groups in each community to study the Word of God and to encourage one another. Each week sees our women joining together in their small groups with a hunger to learn from the Word. The women developed these Spiritual groups amongst themselves, and help to keep each other accountable in their attendance. Their days can be long and lonely and the times spent with each other is refreshing and renewing to their mind, body, and soul. Each group is different, but generally consists of a time of worship, singing, and sharing. There is a designated speaker who delivers a message from God’s Word each week, with some of the women taking turns helping out. Most of the women are alone in their homes, with no other adults to converse with in the evening and so this time spent with other women who truly understands the struggles and desires of their hearts for their families is extremely comforting. These women have a deep desire to learn and an openness to share when it comes to their prayer requests and needs. The dependence on our Heavenly Father for provisions is something that they live with daily because there are times when they do not know what hardships they may face the next day. There is a real sense of community within the groups. A time of fellowship, a small snack, and a cup of tea is enjoyed after each meeting. It is encouraging to see the women develop this community and take ownership of the groups. These groups have had a larger effect in the sense that the women now know there are others looking out for them, and they are building new relationships within their own communities. Donate Project Gallery

< Back Adult Education Receiving education is a rare privilege for most of our widowed women. Some of our ladies were able to receive a primary education. Few were given the opportunity to graduate from high school. Many in our program did not have the advantage of any formal schooling. Women in rural Kenya have many obstacles which make their desire to become adult learners difficult to sustain. They have responsibilities which range from caring for children and/or grandchildren, to management of their family farms which leave them little time for study or class attendance. At home they are confronted with a myriad of demands on their time - gathering firewood for cooking, fetching water sometimes as far away as 20 minutes walking, tilling the soil by hand, washing clothes by hand in the river. Voice of Hope Literacy and Numeracy Class This amazing and super exciting project is an incredible combination of teaching literacy, numeracy and better agricultural practises all in one classroom setting. This project can empower our adult students with skills and enable them to be self-sustainable through improved farming practises. Our ladies are excited to have this opportunity! Small Business Training We are making exciting advances in business training. There is high need for our women to supplement their farming income. In the past year we sent a delegation of leaders and business women from our Voice of Hope program and the community to a course put on by Partners Worldwide. The students who attended this training were taught good and practical business principles. They were provided with the tools to take all they learned to their communities and teach others. This has opened up another avenue for some of our women to diversify and bring in a little extra income. At a very basic level these teachings are being implemented in starting small businesses. Growing and selling vegetables, making mandazi’s (like a donut) and selling them at a roadside stand are two examples of the businesses. This is all done in conjunction with all their other daily tasks. The hope is to change their ingrained thinking of living day to day to putting a small amount of their resources aside for ongoing business. https://www.partnersworldwide.org/our-work/where-we-work/africa/ Sewing Class In 2017 two dedicated team members, Johanna and Fran, took it upon themselves to develop and implement a beginner sewing course for interested women in the community. This class has evolved to the women sewing uniforms for local schools, skirts for the VOH spiritual groups, and much needed mending in the community. It has provided a source of added income. The group meets twice a week and have added knitting and crocheting to their talents. One Acre Fund Practical Hands on Agriculture Training Voice of Hope has partnered with One Acre Fund for several years. One Acre Fund supplies smallholder farmers with everything they need to grow their way out of poverty. Simple interventions like providing access to naturally-produced hybrid seed, quality fertilizer, and training on farming best practices can have a dramatic impact. They allow the opportunity for our women to feed their families, improve their nutrition and increase their incomes. Working with family farms in rural areas, One Acre Fund focuses on last-mile delivery (the supplies are delivered to a location in close proximity to their homes) and ensures that the hardest to reach people have access to seed, fertilizer and other products. Technique goes hand-in-hand with quality supplies when it comes to success in farming. Farmers need the know-how to maximize their yields and keep their soil healthy. One Acre Fund’s team of field officers provides expert, tailored training directly to farmers throughout the year. This includes training on land preparation, planting technique (for example, seed spacing and fertilizer microdosing), weeding, top-dress fertilizer application, pest and disease management, harvesting and drying, crop storage and processing, composting, and tree planting. https://oneacrefund.org/what-we-do/areas-focus Donate Project Gallery

< Back Widow Care Many women living in sub-Sahara Africa are subject to a wide range of plights and deplorable conditions. This is intensified immensely following the death of a spouse. Voice of Hope provides assistance to 80 women and their children or grandchildren in rural Kenya who find themselves in these conditions. As widows move through their own experiences of grief, loss, or trauma after the death of a spouse, they may also face economic insecurity, discrimination, stigmatization, and harmful traditional practices on the basis of their marital status. They struggle with food; at best, most live on the edge of hunger. They struggle with insecure shelter. Having their land taken by in-laws and distant relatives is not uncommon. They struggle with the woeful lack of access to adequate health care and consistently good education for their children. Mothers, by their very nature, long to provide well for their children. Often, this is the biggest challenge our women face. Sadly, due to the high incidence of premature death in adults, many of our women have buried children. Some have buried many children. This leaves an aging grandma to care for her grandkids. An example of this is Grandma Margaret: Margaret R. is a sweet woman who, at the age of 76 years, we’d expect to see loving her grandchildren from a rocking chair. Instead, due to the death of her son and the hardships her other adult children face, Margaret labours as a full time grandma to six of her grandchildren. While the task of providing for these little ones is daunting, Voice of Hope offers assistance, allowing Margaret to provide food and education for her family. Donate Project Gallery

< Back Education and School Tuition It was apparent when other members of the widow’s family were expected to pay school fees, there were often gaps in support, which would result in the children missing school and falling behind. Over the past few years, we have become more intentional in supporting the education of our women’s children. Our field partners, Aggrey and Everlyne, conduct regular check ups with the schools to ensure attendance and progress. We are taking steps to transition struggling high schoolers into polytechnic schools to learn a trade. We have developed protocols for this assistance and have also extended assistance to several post-secondary students. Esnas is an example of an elderly grandma struggling with school fees. She is 71 years old and has 6 grandkids that she feeds and tries to send to school. Some of these grandkids have lost their mothers to illness and some of their mothers may be working in cities like Nairobi, trying to send money home. Tuition payments were made inconsistently, but with assistance from Voice of Hope, Esnas now sends her grandchildren to school regularly, without the burden of scraping together funds. Security in education can be instrumental in breaking the cycle of poverty for many of these families. On a recent visit Helen wrote: “Esnas came to us singing as we approached her home. The little ones look well and well loved.” Arise & Shine School The Arise and Shine ECD program was started by a compassionate woman named Beatrice who noticed children in her community were not attending any ECD programs. With a desire to prepare them for school, she started a program for less fortunate children in her home. Shortly after, Beatrice built a classroom and took in 45 children between the ages of 2-6. Many of these children do not have parents but are cared for by a guardian/family member. Through the support of Voice of Hope the school is now expanded to four classes, a kitchen/dining hall, a sturdy playground, clean latrines and wash houses, a fresh water well, stipends for teachers and cook and up to date curriculum. Westbow Gives Back Donate Project Gallery

< Back Food Support Based on careful ongoing assessments and on the advice of our field partners Aggrey and Everlyne, monthly supplemental food support is distributed. We supply three different sized food packs each month. The size of the food pack depends on the family and how many mouths are to be fed. Our food packs do not supply all the necessary food for an entire month. Some of our widows have graduated out of the Widow Care Program and are now self sustaining. We continue to stay in contact with them, and if our field partners feel there is a need, we address that and provide help. Our goal is to have all of our widows and their children/grandchildren become independent and self sustaining through the education and knowledge that is provided. Our hope and prayer is that the cycle of poverty will end with more knowledge allowing them the ability to rise above the issues that keep them in this vicious and oppressive cycle. Donate Project Gallery

All Posts BC Ontario Mar 17 1 min We are More than Conquerers Written by: Sue This is the day the Lord has made and we rejoiced and were glad in it! This morning we were blessed to worship with... 1 comment 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Mar 16 1 min Another Blessed Day Written by: Linda & Rebecca Today was Ladies’ Day similar to the previous one in Kakamega. We arrived at the Yogo Glory Centre as the... 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Mar 15 4 min Soli Deo Gloria Written by: Carla Rather than walk you through each widow visit we had the privilege of doing this morning, I'll focus in on one and... 2 comments 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3

Fri, Jul 26 | Arie & Helen Van Dyk's Home BBQ Birthday Celebration We welcome you to come celebrate this event with us at this special fundraising BBQ! Time & Location Jul 26, 2024, 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Arie & Helen Van Dyk's Home, 39601 Longhurst Line, St Thomas, ON N5P 3T2, Canada About the event We welcome you to come celebrate this event with us at this special fundraising BBQ. Arie will be 75! Arie will be matching any donations given towards Voice of Hope. This BBQ is intended to replace our annual fall dinner so don't wait! Come on out to support our Kenya widows. RAIN OR SHINE! Show More Share this event

Projects Widow Care Many women living in sub-Sahara Africa are subject to a wide range of plights and deplorable conditions. This is intensified immensely following the death of a spouse. Voice of Hope provides assistance to 80 women and their children or grandchildren in rural Kenya who find themselves in these conditions. Read More Secure Housing It was common for our women to live in homes that had no security or protection from the elements. Many lived in homes that were falling apart. Personal hygiene was nearly impossible with no latrines or wash houses in which to bathe. Read More Education and School Tuition It was apparent when other members of the widow’s family were expected to pay school fees, there were often gaps in support, which would result in the children missing school and falling behind. Read More Spiritual Groups Loneliness and isolation is prevalent in the day to day toil in our dear women’s lives. A sense of hopelessness and fear often prevails because life is hard. In 2019, it was decided amongst the women to create small groups in each community to study the Word of God and to encourage one another. Read More Medical Support Access to medical care has been a game changer for our women. Living such hard lives, often performing heavy, manual labour in the fields, brings with it a toll on their physical bodies. Read More Food Support Based on careful ongoing assessments and on the advice of our field partners Aggrey and Everlyne, monthly supplemental food support is distributed. Read More Adult Education Receiving education is a rare privilege for most of our widowed women. Some of our ladies were able to receive a primary education. Few were given the opportunity to graduate from high school. Many in our program did not have the advantage of any formal schooling. Read More Community Development An important aspect of the work of Voice of Hope has been to fund clean water wells and facilitating piped water access. We have also focused on proper sanitation with new latrine and wash house facilities, improvements to existing homes or as needed the construction of new homes. We have also been able to facilitate adding some classrooms to an existing school. Read More Shiphra Centre We work with a childrens’ home called Shiphra Centre in Nairobi. Thanks to your compassionate and generous donations, this little home has been receiving help with student tuition for many years. Read More

< Back Medical Support Access to medical care has been a game changer for our women. Living such hard lives, often performing heavy, manual labour in the fields, brings with it a toll on their physical bodies. Consuming a diet low in nutrients but high in empty carbohydrates and drinking polluted water often leaves their bodies riddled with parasites and water borne diseases. Unable to fight off the many maladies like h-pylori, malaria, HIV and many other tropical diseases. Many of our women suffer from high blood pressure or other ailments, and yet they persevere through their hard labour day after day in the fields. In the Kakamega region, Voice of Hope has teamed up with a local doctor and nurses who have a heart for our women. Dr. Isaac makes home visits to assess our women. We have also hired a home care nurse, Lillian, with professional skill and a kind heart. She visits all our women who have medical issues. In the Yogo area. Catherine, our field partner, teams up with Jacob Odour. Both are very capable nurses who do an amazing job of assessing and making appropriate health care plans for all of our women in this area. Consistent medical care has had a huge positive impact for many of our widows. Take for example Helida. Helida is an elderly widow with congestive heart failure and significant problems which accompany this. Medications are just a confusing muddle for her with risks of missed dosages. Having medical guidance relieves some of the stress of this burden for her. A caring and listening ear, someone to sort out meds that often confuse our older women, and the knowledge to proceed with medical intervention has brought relief and improved health to all of our ladies. Donate Project Gallery

< Back Spiritual Groups Loneliness and isolation is prevalent in the day to day toil in our dear women’s lives. A sense of hopelessness and fear often prevails because life is hard. In 2019, it was decided amongst the women to create small groups in each community to study the Word of God and to encourage one another. Each week sees our women joining together in their small groups with a hunger to learn from the Word. The women developed these Spiritual groups amongst themselves, and help to keep each other accountable in their attendance. Their days can be long and lonely and the times spent with each other is refreshing and renewing to their mind, body, and soul. Each group is different, but generally consists of a time of worship, singing, and sharing. There is a designated speaker who delivers a message from God’s Word each week, with some of the women taking turns helping out. Most of the women are alone in their homes, with no other adults to converse with in the evening and so this time spent with other women who truly understands the struggles and desires of their hearts for their families is extremely comforting. These women have a deep desire to learn and an openness to share when it comes to their prayer requests and needs. The dependence on our Heavenly Father for provisions is something that they live with daily because there are times when they do not know what hardships they may face the next day. There is a real sense of community within the groups. A time of fellowship, a small snack, and a cup of tea is enjoyed after each meeting. It is encouraging to see the women develop this community and take ownership of the groups. These groups have had a larger effect in the sense that the women now know there are others looking out for them, and they are building new relationships within their own communities. Donate Project Gallery

< Back Widow Care Many women living in sub-Sahara Africa are subject to a wide range of plights and deplorable conditions. This is intensified immensely following the death of a spouse. Voice of Hope provides assistance to 80 women and their children or grandchildren in rural Kenya who find themselves in these conditions. As widows move through their own experiences of grief, loss, or trauma after the death of a spouse, they may also face economic insecurity, discrimination, stigmatization, and harmful traditional practices on the basis of their marital status. They struggle with food; at best, most live on the edge of hunger. They struggle with insecure shelter. Having their land taken by in-laws and distant relatives is not uncommon. They struggle with the woeful lack of access to adequate health care and consistently good education for their children. Mothers, by their very nature, long to provide well for their children. Often, this is the biggest challenge our women face. Sadly, due to the high incidence of premature death in adults, many of our women have buried children. Some have buried many children. This leaves an aging grandma to care for her grandkids. An example of this is Grandma Margaret: Margaret R. is a sweet woman who, at the age of 76 years, we’d expect to see loving her grandchildren from a rocking chair. Instead, due to the death of her son and the hardships her other adult children face, Margaret labours as a full time grandma to six of her grandchildren. While the task of providing for these little ones is daunting, Voice of Hope offers assistance, allowing Margaret to provide food and education for her family. Donate Project Gallery

< Back Community Development An important aspect of the work of Voice of Hope has been to fund clean water wells and facilitating piped water access. We have also focused on proper sanitation with new latrine and wash house facilities, improvements to existing homes or as needed the construction of new homes. We have also been able to facilitate adding some classrooms to an existing school. Four water wells have been funded though Voice of Hope in the Kakamega district. Safe clean drinking water is a luxury in rural Kenya. Women and children often bear the burden of walking miles each day to find water in streams and ponds, full of water-borne diseases that is are making them and their families sick. Illness and the time lost fetching water is significant. With safe water, clean hands, healthy bodies; time lost is dramatically reduced. Good functional latrines (outhouses) and a private bathing space is such a blessing for our women. It was not uncommon for our women to share that before she they received their latrines, they were taunted because they did not have bathroom facilities and were forced to use the neighbouring bushes to relieve themselves. Taking a ‘bath’ was also very difficult. Many of our women would wash outdoors in the dark of night, hoping that no one would walk in on them. All of our ladies have a wash ‘stall’ beside their latrine where they can wash themselves with privacy. Home improvements are on the ‘to do’ list for every widow that joins our program. Sometimes her home will be so dramatically dilapidated that a new home will be constructed for her. Our goal is to be sure they are comfortable and secure; that each family can proudly feel like their house is their ‘home sweet home’. Donate Project Gallery