After her husband died, Owatarra was left as the sole provider for five growing children and an elderly mother. Other widows in the area faced a similar plight. Operation Blessing bought each of the needy families a freezer, which can be used to prepare items like drinking water and juice for sale at the market.

ABIDJAN, West Africa - Every morning, Owattara Waraba lifts the metal lid of her freezer and peers in on her icy merchandise.

Colorful bottles of frozen juice and bags of ice lay stacked and ready for market - each of them a small part of the microenterprise project that has helped this widowed mother-of-five rebuild her life.

In Abidjan, the capital city of Cote d'Ivoire in French-speaking West Africa, Operation Blessing has teamed up with a regional ministry to bring relief to orphans and widows such as 48-year-old Owattara.

The Centre International d'Evangelisation de Cote d'Ivoire (CIEVANCI), operating under the leadership of Dr. Ambroise Sery and his wife Rebecca, was alerted to the dire needs of some widows living with their children in the Abidjan area.

The situation was grim as many of these families faced life with little food and no way to find work.

Ten years ago, Owatarra's husband died and she was left as the sole provider for a family of five growing children. And she was not alone. Other widows in the area faced a similar plight.

To complicate the situation, Owatarra's elderly mother resides in a distant village in the African interior and is unable to support herself.

After learning of Owattara's situation, the Serys informed Operation Blessing and a plan was formed to help her and the other women.

Families were given a chest freezer for their homes, one they could use to prepare goods for sale at the local market. Items such as drinking water and juice usually sell quickly. The vendors also use ice to keep meats and produce cool and fresh.

"The ice can be used for any number of purposes in the marketplace," said Jon Cassel, Operation Blessing's outreach center director in French Africa. "The widows can also freeze fruit drinks in plastic bottles, which remain cold all day long in the large picnic coolers that Operation Blessing supplied."

The microenterprise project has changed the life of Owatarra and her family. Not only is she able to afford food, but the income also helps pay for the children's school expenses. She is even earning enough money to help care for her mother.

"The freezer has been a huge boost for my family," said Christine Gnalko, 50, who is widowed with 10 children. "It is an answer to prayer for me and my children."

HOW YOU CAN HELP

This microenterprise venture is one of many Operation Blessing projects touching lives around the world. You can be a part of improving the quality of life for impoverished communities by supporting these and other life-changing programs.

 

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