Project Dignity

Restoring honor to the widows in India through entrepreneurship. 

We are renovators, working to restore honor.  Whether that be with RT4 or any other project we put our hands to we are work establish honor.

In the case of this Giving back honor and dignity:

spiritually, emotionally, psychologically.

Providing employment and business opportunity to widows in India through cow milk production.

… co-creating with God to rebuild and restore “the places long devastated…your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in,” (Isaiah 58:12).

Historically, a widow “is forever burdened with the misfortune of having outlived her husband, she is ‘physically alive but socially dead”. Traditionally, these women were burned after their husband’s passing, in a practice known as “sati”. Though this has been illegal for several decades, the social belief that the woman is a curse, that she was responsible for her husband’s death, is still held in many communities.

We Are Providing Business Opportunities To Change Lives

Often with no place to go, these women are most vulnerable to prostitution, slave labor, or poor jobs with low wages.

Widows In India​

Since 2004, Kingdom Foundations has worked with women, helping them discover their purpose and passion, releasing them with confidence in their God-given identity so that their gifts and talents can enable their families and communities to flourish.

Interview with a widow

Meeting Various Needs

Broken Social Identity

During the funeral, the wife’s bangles are smashed, the dot on her forehead, the “bindi”, is removed, and her colorful clothing is exchanged for white only. Every symbol identifying her as a married woman, connected in her society is destroyed. She is now untouchable.

Economic

Already vulnerable, widows are often fired by employers who do not want the curse on their business. Additionally, half-widows, desperate for their husbands to return, spend the limited funds they have on blessings from spiritual masters, religious mendicants, and holy men, to find relief and peace.

Psychological Health

Widows and half-widows experience depression, phobia, emotional stability, considering themselves worthless.

Physical Health & Safety

Because they lack social value, they are physically vulnerable to threats, extortion, manipulation, sexual molestation and rape.

Why Business? Jesus was very practical. His Kingdom Empowered and Delivered.

Because the root causes of poverty are often spiritual but also physical, human and organizational, we value the role of business and entrepreneurship.

Humanity was created in the image of God, filled with his breath, and commissioned to be fruitful– co-laboring, co-creating, in flourishing relationship with their God, with each other, and in their natural and social communities.

The promise of salvation is that individuals can be restored back to their identity, purpose, back in relationship with their God, with each other, in partnership again restoring and enabling their natural and social communities to flourish.

One of the greatest inhibitors of human flourishing and hope is poverty, which was even called a “curse”, (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). In this, entrepreneurs and business women are some of the most equipped to minister hope and reconciliation. They are able to co-create value where it did not exist. They’re able to provide opportunities for others to express creativity and talent, to establish meaningful relationships, and to have the “power to get wealth” for their own generation, legacy, and to reinvest capital back into the community.

This Cow Project Is Changing Women’s Lives​

By partnering with widows in business, inviting them to dream and co-create, to see purpose in raw materials, in the people around them, and the communities they are part of, and contribute their love and creativity. This enables them to experience a sense of purpose and value, but also increase financially, which benefits their families, and reduces poverty in their communities.

How It Works

For $2250, we are able to provide a woman with the necessary capital to start a milk business—a cow, building and equipment.

Daily milk supply provides a livable wage, and enough to also repay the loan within 3 years, back into the fund for other women entrepreneurs.

Initially, each woman will be employed to care for the cows and milk them, providing them with the necessary income to care for their family and send their children to school. She will also work with local counselors to restore her dignity and develop new vocational and life skills.

This trial period lasts 6 months- 1 year.

After she has completed Stage 1, she will be given an opportunity for a 3-year, no-interest lease purchase to start her own milking business. She will continue earning the same wage as before, receive additional business training, and become sole owner of her milk business after 3 years.

Your donations can go along way change a life! 

You can help a families live to be changed forever. A widow’s employment provides for her, her children, and their education.

Measuring Impact

Dimensions of Work Indication of Progress Indicators of Change & Longer-Term Impact

Employment:

Create jobs
Employee assistance

  • Increased % of women employed
  • Increased % of women aware of social programs
  • Improved community health
  • Decreased poverty rates

Empower:

Train churches in trauma response and widow-care

  • Increased self-esteem
  • Increased engagement in volunteer/leadership roles, social groups and events
  • Increased feelings of adequacy and self worth
  • Improved attitudes from family and community

Education:

Partner to train and educate widows

  • Increased # of women in training or education programs
  • Increased # of girls educated/community literacy rates
  • Decreased # of child brides
  • Improved labor pool

Entrepreneurship:

Partner to provide business training and capital to women starting new businesses

  • Increased # of women starting businesses
  • Increased % of women employed
  • Increasing number of women in community leadership roles - affect policy, law enforcement, definitions of power

Village Life Images

History Of India Village Focus

Ravi first began ministering, in rural India, over 20 years ago, planting churches. During these early years, the Lord began to show him His true heart for widows and orphans. Since then, he and his wife, Julie, have dedicated a number of projects and ministries for widows, and personally adopted 6 children. They continue to have a passion for the nation of India even as they currently serve in America.

With your financial partnership we can not only help transform women’s lives, but also impact and transform a culture.

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    In thanks to any donation of $500 or more will be receiving a free enrollment course.

    Thanks in advance for your contribution!