Widow's Mite Project - Maria's Story

During the past week I have been making time to write up more of my Widow's Mite stories which I intend to make into a booklet. They are beautiful people who lead such hard lives. Their needs reach into the depths of our heart and we are committed to doing whatever we can to raise more money to support them.

Maria who is aged 66, lives in the remote village of Granceri and has 10 children, The ones who live locally help with milk and labour around the house but cannot afford to help financially. She suffers with high blood pressure, rheumatic, liver and kidney problems and has been advised by the local doctor to rest more. However, with a pension equivalent to just 80 pounds per monh she says this is impossible. She takes whatever local work she can in order to survive. Here is Maria making jam on an open fire in her garden during our August visit.

Like most village properties, Maria's house is built of mud bricks and a few years ago the one pine end wall collapsed. She has been struggling to buy materials to rebuild it but like most widows she says her priority is wood for the winter. Maria worships at a local Baptist Church and says that God is her provider.