About Sister Connection
Sister Connection is a Christian nonprofit organization dedicated to the healing of Burundian war widows and orphans, restoring their dignity, and offering hope for their futures. We provide assistance through monthly sponsorships, the building of homes, and special funding in emergency situations. Sponsorship monies are provided directly to the widows with a personal, self-help approach. Sister Connection is for all widows, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation.
Why Widows?
After more than a decade of civil strife, thousands of Burundian women are widows. Their children are fatherless, and their families are without provisions. Burundian widows are not just old women. An average widow is in her 40s and is caring for at least 4 children, and commonly additional orphans. In this culture, widows are outcasts. They have no income, no government aid, no advocate and they are frequently victimized. Burundian widows struggle to meet the basic daily needs of their children and themselves: food, shelter, medical care, clothing, and education. Although public education is available for children, you cannot send children to school without proper supplies and clothing. Without an education there is no hope for a better future.
Sponsor a Widow into Self-Sufficiency
Widow sponsorship is the heart of Sister Connection, with the goal for widows of certain ages and abilities to achieve self-sufficiency. Connecting to a Burundian widow through sponsorship allows you to raise some of the world’s neediest people from the ashes of war, to give a helping hand when there is nobody else. (Click here to watch a brief video about Sister Connection and widow sponsorship.)
Other Initiatives at Sister Connection enable you to build a home for a widow and their family, to support emergency medical needs, and to provide foundational support for the organization, enabling us to commit 100% of sponsorship monies to the widows.
Sister Connection sponsorship is for everyone! Families, couples, individuals, youth groups, small groups, student groups -- anyone who wants to make a life-changing difference in a widowed family.
Ministry Strategy
Sister Connection is unique from other sponsorship organizations in that it was founded in an equal partnership between a Burundian and an American. We have a grass-roots philosophy and a personal approach that is committed to preserving the respect and dignity of every widow. We believe that the widows themselves are in the best position to determine the most critical needs of their families and to choose the means for fulfilling those needs. Therefore, sponsorship funds are given directly to the widow. It is our commitment to dignify widows with the right to manage their own families, and we adhere to an “ask, don’t tell” philosophy. This means we recognize the importance of meeting existing needs specifically expressed by our widowed sisters, rather than implementing initiatives that just seem like a good idea to us.
