WORD Trust celebrates a decade of service

Reaching 10 years of operation is an exciting time for the Norwich-based Christian charity, the Widows and Orphan Relief and Development (WORD) Trust.

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WORD Trust was born from a deep passion and desire to serve widows and orphans throughout the world based on the life story of Everjoice Makuve, who now lives in Norwich.
 
Everjoice grew up as an orphan and experienced difficulties that included the inability to continue with education due to lack of money and she became a widow at an early age. She knows what it is not to have food, using second-hand clothes, being a child labourer and suffering all forms of abuse. Everjoice also knows what it is to be a widow and a single mother in a foreign country. WORD's programmes are therefore centred on the need to address the issues she experienced.
 
Everjoice said: "The main aim of WORD Trust is to bring local communities together and enhance their capacity to actively participate in tackling the root causes of poverty and deprivation faced by widows, widowers, orphans, single and other deprived communities through programmes that address health and well-being, HIV and Aids, education and secure livelihoods and reducing isolation. We actively encourage volunteering as a tool for our work."
 
Over the past decade, through its partners, WORD has: served over 9450 widows, widowers and single parents in under-privileged communities, 65% of them HIV positive in Africa; 1200 children received school fees and 1050 children received toys; 89 individual small projects supported in the different countries through revolving funds loaned without interest; 420 children receiving hot meals and 100 elderly widows receiving food; 2300 widows and orphans received clothing; 69 Zimbabwean Diaspora volunteers deployed to Zimbabwe and 12 international volunteers deployed to train the civic society and the church leadership on governance and organisation development; 16 conferences and seminars organised; 43,000 British communities reached out in development awareness; 33 international monitoring visits undertaken.
 
"We would like to say a big thank you to our funders and supporters whose support has seen us make these achievements," said Everjoice.
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Funders: New Hope Christian Fellowship, DFID, VSO, Diaspora Volunteering Alliance, Big Lottery, Comic Relief, Norfolk Community Foundation, Love Norfolk, May Gurney, Warm and Well, Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council, Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT, Church Urban Fund, Cooperative Society, Norwich Gateway Refugee Programmes, YMCA Norfolk, Partners in the Services of Christ, Call to Prayer, Geoffrey
Watling Trust, Paul Basham Charitable Trust,
 
Supporters: Norwich MIND, Bridge Plus, CFD, NAHIP, NASREF, Lakenham Primary School, BUILD, Voluntary Norfolk and several individuals who never stopped supporting the cause, especially the trustees retired and current, BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC World Service.
 
“In England WORD work has included Black, Asian and minority ethnic (mostly women) parenting, computer and healthy eating, training, physical exercises, swimming and a young women’s support group,” said Everjoice. “We would like to thank all our staff and volunteers without whom our work could not be accomplished.”
 
“To mark the ten successful years, WORD is hosting a dinner at Norwich Central Baptist Church on June 21, while celebrating International Widows Day and a week of events in Harare, Zimbabwe, with all our country partners from the different countries we serve, from August 11 to 16. Everyone is invited.”
 
For more details, please contact WORD Trust on 07588 487957 or 07738 954737 or visit the website www.wordtrustinternational.com

Pictured is WORD Trust's work in both Africa and in the UK.