helping orphans and widows
h.o.w?'s president is Michelle Outman, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Adoptive mother to twin boys from Ethiopia, she knows first hand the enormity of the orphan crisis in Africa. Having spent months working in the African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Swaziland, she has seen the injustice and desperation women and children face because of inequality and oppression. Michelle has dedicated her life to empowering women and children through faith and service to God and each other, entrepreneurship and education.
Longtime advocate Debby Sefton has joined our team as Connections Coordinator. She has served 7 years on staff at Christ’s Church of Effingham, Illinois, as New Member and Community Outreach Minister. Her strengths in connections, growing ministry and living out the “Great Commission” are invaluable assets.
Our Kenya coordinator, Keziah Murugi Kariuki, is the bridge and glue that connects the USA and Kenya ministry. She oversees and coordinates the h.o.w? jewelry ministry, our projects with partnering children's homes and visiting mission teams from the USA. Keziah provides our widows physical, emotional and spiritual support.
Our headquarters in Cape Girardeau is a visual tapestry of African artistry and crafts, and the perfect place for your group or organization to become familiar with the h.o.w? Ministry (by appointment only - contact us). Watch our latest video about our mission in Kenya then browse our colorful shop filled with hand-beaded bracelets, necklaces and earrings, hand-woven scarves, baskets and bowls, purses and T-shirts, keychains and ornaments, wall decorations and more.
shop online or contact us if you see something you like
or if you would like to make an appointment
- this site is new, and we will be adding more products soon! -
Keziah recently visited the h.o.w? Jewelry widows in Kinangop to photograph newly installed windows we provided for Teresia’s home. She also presented fabric to our tailors, Jane, Cecilia and Mary, and photographed a new woven basket Julia is working on. We think they all look wonderful, and we can’t wait to see what they make next!
Learn more about h.o.w? Ministry, why we do what we do, how you can get involved, who we serve and what you can look forward to if you choose to join us on a short-term mission trip to Kenya.
Plan now to participate in our annual 5K run/walk for “the least of these” to help fund our missions. Our 2015 event is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2015, at La Croix Church.
The 2-week mission we completed in January was “our best trip ever,” h.o.w? Ministry President Michelle Outman said, because we were able to get to know the widows more in 4 days than the past 4 years largely due to the new women’s conference and our shared experiences there. Here’s a summary of our activities.
Today the widows learned how to crochet roses for hats they plan to begin making for h.o.w? Jewelry, made more self-portrait watercolors, and received Christmas donations, cards and photos from their sponsors in the U.S. Mission participants unloaded several suitcases full of donated scarves, skirts, shoes and other clothing for the widows and their families. […]
At the h.o.w? Jewelry headquarters in rural Kinangop, Kenya, members of the h.o.w? widows shared what they had learned at our two-day Arise Women’s Conference, presented gifts and a poem of thanks, and then posed for some Polaroid photos they could take home to remind them of the dreams they envisioned there.
The second day of the Arise Women’s Conference at Lake Naivasha included a session designed to help those who are HIV positive learn how to take care of themselves physically and spiritually, a discussion of the h.o.w? vision, some selfies and photo fun by the pool, and a field trip to the Kenya Agricultural and […]
The first-of-its-kind Arise Women’s Conference 2015 got under way Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Panorama Park Lodge near Lake Naivasha, Kenya, with 16 of the h.o.w? Jewelry women spending the day attending a workshop on financial literacy and entrepreneurship, painting self portraits, and enjoying lunch and tea by the pool.
Our group has arrived in Kenya! We’re at the Oak Place Conference Center for the night, then on to Panorama Park Lodge, where we will be holding the first h.o.w? Ministry women’s conference during the week. We’re planning to start off the day with a boat safari before moving on to prepare for our conference. […]