Oil Of Joy In Place Of Mourning

If you had met her some months back, she would have thought herself as walking in the shoes of Naomi (Ruth 1:13-21). But God turned her story around through a small thoughtful gesture by FLEP

Rifikatu Yakubu, not only lost her husband, she also lost two sons; victims of the insurgency in parts of northern Nigeria. These calamities left Riftkatu with the burden of three surviving children, two daughters-in-law, and seven; all these for someone without any reliable means of livelihood!

Rifikatu hails from Tafawa Balewa in Bauchi state. She is among the widows selected for the FLEP Transforming Livelihood Project Goat Intervention. Three (3) goats were given to her to rear and generate income with which to sustain herself and her family. Today, those three goats have multiplied to 10! Thanks to God’s mercies and Rifikatu’s hard work.  She is happy that her goats are increasing in number and hopeful that the sales of the goats will meet some of her needs, as well as provide capital for some other small-scale business.

Part of the FLEP program is that beneficiaries meet regularly to encourage each other. Rifikatu is a faithful participant at these meetings: She meets with other women (beneficiaries) to study the Word of God, pray for and hold each other accountable. Though insecurities still pervade the region, Rifkatu is hopeful about the future. She is hoping to branch out into knitting (though she has no knitting machine) to augment the income from the goats.

To Rifikatu the intervention is an answer to her prayer. She feels hope again and glad to be the owner of something worthy. Like Rifikatu, more widows are struggling to survive and earn a sustainable income. Your support ensures our continuity to elevate these women out of poverty.

To support send an email to flep.nigeria@gmail.com or contact us by calling the number on the home page.