Pastor Valerie Fredrick - Click on picture to enlargeWidows - click on picture to enlarge.

Women of Hope Ministries in Jos, Nigeria
Pastor Valerie Fredrick
Caring & Supporting Widows & Orphans

Every day more and more women are being widowed or abandoned
by their husbands because of HIV/AIDS
and other factors.


Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.


Even though the situation seems desperate, Pastor Valerie Fredrick began Women of Hope Ministries in faith, for there is hope in Jesus Christ.

While HIV/AIDS is one of the factors to contribute to the increase in widows and orphans, poverty, negelect, and other factors also contribute.

Our Vision

The society where we live today is becoming more and more challenging. People are passing through more and nore hard ships, such that has never been known in the history of our society. People have tried sorting out themselves through several means that never works.The only hope the world has is Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus taught us to love and care for the whole of humanity. Jesus said that we are the light of the world. We are also the salt of the world.If salt loses its saltiness, it will become good for nothing, except for it to be thrown away and be trodden under foot. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven. Mt 5:13-16

It is based on this background that Women of Hope Ministries came up with a vision to reach the unreached and most negelected people in society. Our method has been great. Women, children and orphans come in to seek God and serve God with all joy because of the help that we render at their time of need.

The Challenge is enormous .

Have you ever slept for several nights without food on your table and without hope for foo for the next day? That is the very condition of these widows, their children and that of the orphans that parade the streets with no where to go, no where to turn to and having where to lay their heads at night.
Think about watching your children as they drop out of school, not because they are bored with school, but stay at home because they have to assume the role of a father that has died and provide for their family.
Here in Africa when a man dies, the concern of his relatives is not how to help train and take care of the survivig childern but what did their late relative leave behind that they can take.

This puts the poor widow into a battle that most of the time will lead to her death as the family fights over what little was left behind. Much of the time this death is over nothing. This has resuled in these widows loosing control of their children as they grow up with their own relatives misstreating and abusing them.Many of these children will turn to drugs, prostitution and gangs for support. These children are being exploited by sex rings, rebel groups and society in general. Even the Church is turning their back on these children. They feel that they have no where to turn.

"Our ministry is an outreach to these disenfranchised groups; widows and their children, orphaned and abandoned children" Valierie explained.
However, in the eyes of the women and children they help, Women of Hope Ministries are a God send. And in the eyes of the Lord, they are His faithful servants.

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 (NIV) 

The Need

It is important to emphasize that this ministry cannot do it alone. We have the people, men and women who are committed on a daily basis to see to the affairs of these widows and their children. But our greatest need in the operational cost of meeting the day to day problems of these 40 widows and their children and the orphaned and abandoned children that we care for. In every quarter of the year we have the challenge of school fees. It will cost just $30 to pay school fees of a child for one term and $90 for one year for a child.

Pastor Valerie Fredrick - Click on picture to enlarge receiving a future! - Click on picture to enlarge

We have a need for funding for women in training. We are training women to be seamstresses. This will afford them the oppurtunity to be self-sufficient and help with the support of their families and the other women. We do this by providing for their training and with the necessary equipment to start a small-scale business.

Five hundred dollars US will purchase a future for one of these women and her children. This will provide a sewing machine and materials to get started.

We provide medical care as needed, food, clothing, etc. the list goes on and on.

We Count It A Great Priviledge

One of the Greatest Joys that we have shared and enjoyed is the fact that God is using this ministry to bring many families into the Kingdom of God. Women who would never have ahd the boldness to openly give their lives to Christ. They are doing so and with great joy! Women are being freed from the fear of there late husband's families. Childern who had no more hope for their lives and education are now given back their lives and an education with a chance to go to school. The society is seeing the goodness of our Lord and God and is lifting their praises to our God!!

Here is an interview with Pastor Valerie Fredrick. In her own words.


For information on the conditions of widows in Nigeria and other African countire visit the following websites.


To contribute to this program or for information contact:

AOAACF

AOAACF began in 2005 as an outreach to children in Kenya with one program. Now it has grown into five outreachs in three nations of Africa.

You can send your request for information and/or donation to:

AOAACF - R2 Box 118E - Ludowici GA 31316 - USA