Since the beginning of July Hannah, the Abaana’s Hope Intern, and I have been spending time every Thursday at the Women’s Refuge Center playing and teaching the three small children {who are to young to go to school} the song “Jesus Loves Me.” What a joy it has been to color, laugh and hear them catching on to different parts of the song each week. Hannah’s time is slowly wrapping up, but I know for sure these children will always remember that Jesus loves them .

The Women’s Refuge Center is currently a temporary home to five women and their families. The program began after the inception of the jewelry program in 2013, Abaana’s Hope missionaries became aware of the need for a specific ministry to address the needs of widows and vulnerable women with children in our community who had been displaced by the war and had no family to assist them or any means of support. God provided for Abaana’s Hope to purchase 12.8 acres of land near the Abaana’s Hope property to build a Women’s Refuge Center for these women and children. Five traditional homes have been built, along with a piggery and garden space. Biblical truth is being taught, vocational training and money-management skills are being provided and the love of Jesus Christ is being demonstrated to women who have suffered so much pain and rejection throughout their lives. Our goal is to empower these women to be able to purchase land, build a home and provide for themselves with the skills they have learned over the past year. They will then be encouraged to become a mentor to others in the community after mastering the agriculture and animal husbandry skills.