“In the past three years, we’ve helped many poor widows establish or expand their small businesses.”

Allen Macartney
Special to Spur Ottawa

Ottawa’s “Virtuous Women” prayer and Bible study group started with a humble, local focus based on Christian growth, but soon its vision expanded to span the globe. Today, its outreach program includes life-changing micro-loans to struggling widows in Africa. The impact is amazing.

“The Ottawa Virtuous Women group consists regularly of 25 to 30 Christian women who meet for prayer and Bible study, twice a week using Zoom,” says Adeline Ijang, the group’s leader. Up to 60 people have attended.

“About 80 percent of us come from Ottawa, but others join on-line from as far away as Australia, Cameroon, China, England, Nigeria, and the United States.”

The group began in 2016, with Ijang and two other friends having dinner together. They wanted to meet regularly to share their personal struggles, encourage one another through Bible study, and pray.

“We wanted to win more souls for the Lord and become like the hard-working woman of noble character described in Proverbs 31:10–31.”

“We wanted women to grow strong in Jesus and achieve a level of spiritual stamina,” says Ijang. “We wanted to win more souls for the Lord and become like the hard-working woman of noble character described in Proverbs 31:10–31.”

Shortly after the group began, they recognized the need to help widows and fatherless children in Cameroon. (Most of the group’s members come from Cameroon.) “We wanted to help widows because they’re the most neglected and marginalized people in Africa,” Ijang explains.

Most widows in Cameroon face lifelong poverty and have little hope for a better future for their children. Fortunately, it doesn’t cost much to radically change someone’s life in Cameroon—about $250.

“In the past three years, we’ve helped many poor widows establish or expand their small businesses,” says Bi Ndenecho, the group’s secretary. “One of the first widows we helped sold fruit at a market. She barely made enough money to support her children. We lent her money to expand her stock so she could greatly increase her income. She was very excited and happy.”

Her business is now stable and growing.

“The Bible tells us to care for widows. This is how our group is doing so, while we study the Scriptures and pray. It’s pretty exciting!”

Yet, the group does not just hear about a need, then write a cheque. “We’ve established ties with some churches in Cameroon that work with us to identify widows who are struggling hard to support themselves and their children,” Ndenecho explains. “After deciding which widows would benefit most from our support, the churches send us their names. Our members pray over the list, and decide who we’ll help.”

Part of the agreement between the widows and Virtuous Women involves a covenant: the widows promise to continue attending church regularly (helping to build their faith in God), as well as to send their children to school (so the cycle of poverty can be broken). All of them agree readily.

“We don’t send the money directly to the women,” Ndenecho states, “but to trusted church leaders who then give it to the widow and monitor its use. The local church also offers follow-up advice and business counsel to the widows.”

The churches also make it clear to the women receiving support that the money will not increase the person’s standard of living immediately. The aim is to grow the business and expand its earning power.

The scope of businesses the Virtuous Women have sponsored ranges from those planting crops on tiny farms, to struggling seamstresses, hairdressers, food-sellers, and shop keepers.

“The Bible tells us to care for widows,” says long-time participant Ngi Asana-Nkengla. “This is how our group is doing so, while we study the Scriptures and pray. It’s pretty exciting!”

And it all ties back to their virtuous vision—to raise up a generation of women who will fear the Lord and support each other in all ways, around the world.