Although there are many underinvested and ostracized groups of people in society, widows and orphans are easy to overlook because as a demographic, they don’t receive much attention in modern media. Yet these women and children need support, especially those living in underinvested communities in developing nations. Here’s why Christians should look for ways to support the widows and orphans who can most benefit from it.
Why Widows and Orphans Can Be Vulnerable
Even in wealthy nations like the US, widows and orphans can be vulnerable in multiple ways, all of which are related to experiencing an incomplete family structure. In low-income communities and countries, this susceptibility can be worsened by poor living conditions and infrastructure, inadequate social support, and cultural stigmas. Here are some ways that widowhood and orphanhood endangers women and children.
Psychological Burdens
The loss of a father can be traumatic to both widows and orphans. The resulting grief, loneliness, and financial stress can lead to mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), anxiety, depression, substance abuse, personality disorders, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Double orphans, or children who have lost both parents, can be left to raise themselves, increasing their risk of these disorders.
Socioeconomic and Educational Barriers
Particularly in cultures in which men are the primary or sole household earners, losing husbands and fathers means losing essential income. Single mothers may struggle to juggle earning responsibilities with caregiving ones, which can lead to burnout, reduced financial resources, and less bonding time. Girls may be married off prematurely to relieve financial and caregiving burdens; double orphans may be forced into child labor and human trafficking. As a result, these children often miss out on the education that could otherwise have lifted them out of poverty.
Physical Health Disorders
When women and children struggle to navigate emotional and financial difficulties on their own, it can have serious negative effects on their physical health as well, and even on their DNA. Trauma and chronic stress—along with malnutrition and other forms of material deprivation—can lead to diabetes, autoimmune disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, cancers, and early death.
What Does the Bible Say About Widows and Orphans?
Here’s what the Bible says about the social status of widows and orphans and how Christians should treat them.
Widows and Orphans Are Disadvantaged
In the Bible widows and orphans are recognized as being inherently vulnerable. In Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Moses associates them with other marginalized people, such as foreigners, the poor, and Levites (who were not allowed to have their own communal land). Because they are a disadvantaged group, Job 22:8-10 implies that failing to support these women and children is particularly shameful: “And you sent widows away empty-handed / and broke the strength of the fatherless.”
God Is the Defender of Widows and Orphans
The Bible tells us that God considers Himself to be a champion of widows and orphans. Psalm 68:4-6 explains that, along with other downtrodden people (like prisoners), “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”
Christians Should Protect and Support Widows and Orphans
Consequently, the Bible calls on Christians to do God’s work in protecting and supporting each widow and orphan, and it does so in both the Old and New Testaments. Exodus 22 lays out a number of laws for the Israelites to follow. Verses 21-24 make it clear that at a minimum, God’s people should not “mistreat or oppress” marginalized groups or “take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.” Otherwise, God says, “I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused[.]”
The Bible also clarifies that it is not enough to simply refrain from mistreating these women and children. Instead, Christians must make a point of actively supporting them. Psalm 82:3 instructs us to “[d]efend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed.” This is such an important part of doing God’s will that James 1:27 states, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Lift Up Widows and Orphans With Tree of Life for the World
Tree of Life for the World provides essential community development, health, and education services for the most underserved people in low-income countries, including care for widows and orphans. We focus on lifting children and communities through education, essential healthcare, and improved infrastructure as well as workforce support and disaster relief through a Christ-centered approach.
You can support our work by making a one-time donation or sponsoring a child monthly or a well. Your sponsorship prioritizes the protection of orphans, widows, and their communities’ well-being. Your monthly gift allows a community’s dreams to become a reality. Give today!
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