INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Stichting Mercy organization (MOA) is a non profit, non-governmental organization with no political inclination. It was founded on 11th of April 2006 in Venlo, the Netherlands with the mandate to assist the poor, downtrodden, and deprived widows. Widows are the poorest of poor, the most oppressed, violated, invisible and their voices unheard. Most of them including the young mothers are subjected to extreme discriminatory practices in Africa.

The plight of this target group remarkably, has attracted the international community but there has not been effective legislation to stamp out this agony and bondage of this group. A woman who loses her husband is denied the right to own and inherit the husband property by the relatives.

It is a common practice to send the widow away from the legitimate home to a world of uncertainty, the very illiterate and weakest among them are traumatized because they become abused and witness with dismay the pitiable end of their children’s future. These children lost the chance to attend school and face the inevitable choice of engaging in crimes such as armed robbery, cheating, kidnapping and other related crimes. We now witness a disorderly situation that could have been avoided if their mother turned widows were given the rights and privileges due her after the death of her spouse.

Although the dilemma of the rural poor widows in Africa has been identified, efforts to stop or reduce its existence have been grossly inadequate and lack political will to enact laws that will restore the rights and privileges of this targeted group. It is on this background that MOA since its establishment has assisted in cash and in kind to touch the lives of this deprived people in the community.

Our Mission:

To identify very poor widows, empower them to break through, encourage African integration and participation.

Our Vision:

Sustainable empowerment for widows and fostering a legacy of a peaceful world.

Our Staff