Dignity. Purpose. Transformation.
In 2008, Women of Hope in Sierra Leone (WOH) began working with a small group of women in Makeni. Over the years, they have grown and expanded, seeing the need for ministry in many areas. We now serve over 800 women with disabilities in four communities in northern Sierra Leone. The mission of Women of Hope is to promote the transformation of Sierra Leonean women with disabilities, and their families, so that they may reach their fullest potential in all 7 domains of human flourishing - identity, spiritual, social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and economic. Knowing that people are complex beings, and understanding that every aspect of a person’s life is interconnected, WOH addresses the complex needs of women living with disabilities through wholistic and hands-on programming and support services. “We cannot separate our economic success from our emotional health, or our physical health from our spiritual condition. At Women of Hope, we address all areas of life as a whole, knowing that the Gospel, when fully lived out, impacts EVERY area of life.”
A testimony of Hope
WHOLISTIC PROGRAMMING
Transformation Training
Transformation Training, the signature training program for women in Sierra Leone, is a 16-week wholistic health and discipleship course. During this training, women learn about their inherent value as Image-bearers of God, and engage in a variety of topics such as health & hygiene, diarrhea prevention & treatment, handling stress & anxiety in healthy ways, biblical conflict resolution, marriage & child-training, small business skills, and a chronological narrative of the story of Redemption, demonstrating God’s value of women throughout the Story. Following the course, an assessment is conducted, allowing the women to articulate the changes they have seen in their own lives, and they are celebrated in a graduation celebration with their families and friends. Transformation truly takes place as women find community, belonging, and learn of their inherent value in the eyes of the One who created them for a unique purpose.
Discipleship Programs
Following Jesus to Abundant Life is a 15-week discipleship curriculum is a practice-based, formation course that will help them learn more about God and what it looks like to follow Jesus, directly from God and His Word. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher, and the facilitators are only there to provide some structure. Following time in God’s Word and listening to the Holy Spirit speak to their hearts, participants dive deeper into the topic through stories, parables, and discussion, learning how to apply the concepts from God’s Word to their own life context.
The GROW Program (Gathering to Receive, Opportunity to Work) is a discipleship and economic empowerment program. Women meet in small groups twice weekly for one year. They listen to God’s Word on a handheld audio device using pre-recorded Bible stories and lessons. They discuss what they have heard using the pre-recorded questions that enable them to apply the Bible stories to their lives. Each woman is given a small business grant, and during their biweekly meetings, they save money in a collective GROW Fund Box and encourage one another in their personal economic endeavors.
Foundations takes disciple-making and transformation to a new level, empowering women who are following Jesus to “go out and make disciples” in their villages and communities. Yeabu, joined the TT class because she witnessed remarkable changes in two women from the previous TT class. Noticing positive changes in their behavior, Yeabu asked them and was told, "God changed my life through Transformation Training." God is calling women to share with their peers and make disciples of others. The purpose of the Foundations discipleship program is just that: to equip and empower women with disabilities who have experienced change through Women of Hope’s programs to make disciples in their communities using simple, reteachable lessons. Equipped with an audio device filled with transformative lessons, these Community Builders gather with small groups of women, both able-bodied and disabled, to listen and experience change together.
Monthly Support Gatherings
One of the benefits of Women of Hope Sierra Leone that the women talk about the most, is that they have found a place of belonging and acceptance. Years of rejection have made many of the women hide in their rooms for years, never interacting with other humans. But when they find out about WOHSL, they venture out, and find community and a family who understands them and their struggles. This is often the first step in a woman’s journey of healing and transformation. Each month, women with all types of disabilities gather together to learn, discuss, and support one another.
Advocacy and Emergency Assistance
Women living in extreme poverty are often the victims of injustice due to corrupt landlords, angry neighbors, and domestic violence. They are also at risk for severe illness or other medical emergencies without the ability to pay for the care they need. Our advocacy support team responds to urgent needs, helping women obtain legal or medical assistance as needed, and ensuring that women in crisis are supported and resourced for the health and well-being of themselves and their families. Our God is a God of justice, and we work with Him in obtaining justice for the women in Sierra Leone. (Ps. 10:18, Ps. 37:28, Isaiah 58)
Fair Trade Cooperative
At our main office in Makeni, women can come to work at the Fair Trade Cooperative, creating beautiful products to be sold in Makeni. Skills training classes are taught periodically to engage new women with skills to create additional products. Women who work in the co-op are able to leave lives of begging and prostitution and provide for themselves and their families through the income they receive in sales.
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