My name is Richard Sokotela and I am 56 years old. I am a former Zambia air Force civilian employee and now retired due to health challenges. I was diagnosed with HIV last year in 2019 after a series of sickness. From that time my life has never been the same, due to sickness I stayed home most of the time and could not manage going to work and so I had to resign, I was often bed ridden and I would only depend on my wife who has been on my side through these difficult times.

Since last year I have failed to provide for my family. My children have dropped out of school, I can’t afford to help them with their basic needs. My concern is that they will soon fall prey to teenage pregnancies or marriages, which are so prevalent in our community.

I thank God for the team who have helped me with a monthly food package, that way they lessen the burden of putting food on my table. May the Lord continue to bless you and provide for you as you provide for us. I also want to say thank you to the supplement Selenium that has greatly improved my appetite and my well being. I can now I can sit up and I’m seeing great improvement.

1. For God to give me total recovery so that I can get back to my feet and help my family.
2. For the Lord to provide schooling opportunities to my Daughters so that they would be different from the girls in this community.
3. For the Lord to protect me and my family from this new Virus that is going round. (COVID-19)

My name is Ntandiwe and I’m 15 years of age. I live in Zambia with my Aunt. I was born HIV positive, I was diagnosed at birth in 2005. My chances of survival were incredibly slim. I lived in hospitals the first several years of my life. I have been on HIV treatment ever since.

Before I came to Kabwe, I stayed in Nakonde with another Aunt of mine. Life was very difficult for me because most of the time I was sick. My Aunt was not giving me my medication because she was ignorant about the virus and the importance of ARVs.

My growing up has been surrounded by a constant negative lesson on HIV, and trying to understand what HIV is and it’s been so hard. I lost both my parents when I was eight and due to the pain of losing my loved ones I resented the doctors, HIV/AIDS and even God.

One day, some people whom I call my angels visited me with good news. They encouraged me from the word of God and spoke positively about HIV/AIDS and the importance of taking my medication on time. These people brought hope in my life and I’m now positive that one day my dream of becoming a nurse will be fulfilled. Thank you to the volunteers for their encouragement. Once I recover and have the strength, am going back to school!

1. That I could go back to school
2. For God to heal me

We continue to enjoy His divine protection from COVID-19 pandemic and we give Him all the glory.

1. It is now four years ago since we dedicated Rob’s farm to the Lord in memory of Rob Hall; a Canadian missionary who died at Trans-africa Theological University in Kitwe. We have given a facelift to the memorial placard and the thatched hut on the hill.
2. We have been slashing and cleaning up the surrounding and the exercise continues.
3. Weeding, spraying and application of fertilizer continues in the vegetable gardens. This week we sold green pepper, eggplants, okra, lemons and green beans
4. The turkey chicks are doing fine and we are grateful to God. We love you and stay blessed.

Dear Friends,

The world has been blindsided by the corona virus. We’re all facing unchartered territory. For the next few months (maybe longer) we’ll be faced with a new normal of restrictions, “social distancing”, shortages, reduced essential services, travel bans, and serious suffering. The only comfort is that the Lord has not been taken by surprise. He still loves and provides for his children.

Africa is just now reporting on the daily rise of Covid-19 in its many nations. We are very concerned because we work with thousands of HIV victims in Africa and India whose immune systems are already compromised. This, in concert with the limited medical services of Africa, means as one of our African partners put it,”We’re sitting on a time bomb”.

We need to remember these precious orphans and widows in prayer and in our gifts. I’m asking you to contribute via our website if possible. It may be that postal services personnel may be required to self isolate. The ministry must go on.

Many blessings to you!

Through our partners we are able to provide Selenium — the immune boosting mineral — to people who’s health is fragile or deteriorating (elderly, those living with HIV etc.). Selenium has shown such a great impact to all that are taking it that more people are joining into our groups in the communities in order to receive this precious commodity!

“After walking 15 km to the centre, I know I can do anything. Selenium is the answer to my strength.” – Widow

The people expressed their joy as they were receiving selenium because they know already about the impact it has in their bodies. These people are thankful to God, and our donors, for putting the people on their hearts and for coming to their rescue.

In 1999 Jim Cantelon stood on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Here he felt called to minister to Orphans & Widows impacted by HIV and AIDS. Fast forward to 2019 and he was once again able to stand in the same spot.It started with what/who he knew: African pastors and churches who had brought him from Jerusalem to guest speak in the 1980’s. The relationships established in those years gave the ministry an access point for our first few years of WOW’s engagement with thousands victimized by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. And those pastors and churches became our first frontline “champions” in our Home Based Care (HBC) ministry to affected orphans and widows in desperately impoverished regions.

Indeed our “first responders” and ongoing angels of mercy were/are all local church based volunteers. This is vital because a core value of sustainable ministry must be the “hands and feet of Jesus” from the community reaching out to the perishing.

A big part of founding WOW was casting vision to African pastors to engage their congregants in a vast coordinated commitment to HBC in their towns and villages. So we convened, sponsored, and spoke at several pastors’ conferences with anywhere from 20 to 4000 in attendance. The vision caught on and we were able to identify and engage with small (now large) ministries who have become a significant inter-country network. Hundreds of thousands of man hours have been expended in ministry to “the least of these”(Matthew 25:40-45) by these faithful partners. It’s truly humbling to see Jesus at work through these servants of God.

WOW just keeps on growing. That’s because the Lord is “a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows “(Psalm 68:5). That day the Lord gave him 2 words: “Catalyst” and “Every Church a Mother Teresa”. And for 20 years we have been faithful to that call!