Jasmine's Place Issue No. 14 - December 2014 | Page 43

The Women International Fellowship (WIF) is a Christian women’s organization that was founded in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1998. It is in Southern (Zimbabwe) and East Africa (Tanzania) and is a 501 (c ) 3 Nonprofit Organization in the USA. Within a year of its inception WIF began community outreaches that eventually included weekly visits to AIDS sufferers, orphans, widows, sex workers, prisoners, and former prisoners and their families. The work of the Women’s International Fellowship is thus divided into five main thrusts: THE AIDS MINISTRY: WIF presents the hope and unconditional love of the Gospel, counsels encourages and fellowship s with sufferers. WIF also aspires to help sufferers achieve spiritual and emotional healing from the inner wounds that arise from the stigma, fear, anger and rejection that victims of AIDS have to endure. THE PRISONERS’ MINISTRY: WIF takes food to prisoners, and food and clothing to children in prisons with their mothers as well as sanitary products for incarcerated women. WIF counsels, preaches and offers . much needed social support and acceptance. THE ORPHANS’ MINISTRY: This outreach seeks to help households of orphans who have lost both parents to the AIDS pandemic and subsequently, live on their own. WIF also helps other children in extreme hardships as well as supporting grand-mothers and widows in a variety of ways. WIF provides food, school fees, uniforms and supplies, clothing, and at times, rent. The charity offers spiritual help, social guidance, counseling, prayers, and organizes the burial of the dead. In addition, WIF obtains school reinstatement for children who have dropped out of schools and monitors school performance. In 2007/2008, WIF had its first graduates, one from the University of Zimbabwe’s School of Medicine and the other from the Harare Polytechnic. The charity currently has several undergraduates in Universities. In a year WIF touches the lives of between 3000 to 3500 orphans. THE RAHAB MINISTRY: The objective of this outreach, is to convert and rehabilitate women in the sex industry. In the era of AIDS, this ministry is vital and urgent. WIF’s. JASMINE'S PLACE 43