Our Story
Women in the Window International has its roots in one chance meeting.
It was the Fall of 2000, in a village in Northwest India, near the Pakistani border. There, on her very first mission trip, Kim Kerr met a young girl with haunting eyes and the weight of the world on her shoulders. Vimla.
Kim perceived something beyond the crushing burdens of Vimla’s existence. Kim saw a beautiful little girl longing to be loved and nurtured for who she was – a child of God.
“My heart ached to open the window of God’s love and watch Him pour blessings of grace and mercy upon her,” says Kim, who is now Women in the Window’s Executive Director. “Shortly after my return to the USA, and a great deal of research regarding the plight of the girl-child in the developing world where they are often little more than a commodity, the Lord began opening doors for us to serve women and girls in the 10/40 Window.
Research led her to a greater understanding of the plight of girls and women across the globe. Further study and subsequent travels unfolded the harsh realities that women receive less education, less health care, and often eat less and last—simply because they are women.
In 2002, Kim developed an inductive narrative Bible study that she called Women in the Window. She taught women from cities and villages in Northeast Thailand on the border of Laos and they taught her that Bible study is most effective when it includes the multi-dimensions of the oral arts—drama, stories, song, and even dance. The Isaan women of this region were overjoyed to see for themselves the prominent place of women in the Bible. Their enthusiasm helped her see that understanding and applying the Bible is the most powerful way to impact the lives of women. Effective training tools enable them to impact their families, communities, and world with God’s love and truth, found only in Jesus Christ.
Jesus understood and embraced the value and needs of women. Jesus included women in His ministry and His servant leadership team, and it’s on this model that our organization was founded. In 2013, after more than a dozen years of related ministry service, our board of directors formed Women in the Window International. Our mission is to equip and empower women in the 10/40 Window – and beyond – to replace poverty and injustice with dignity and purpose in Christ. We focus our ministry efforts in Africa, Asia, America and the Middle East.
Our logo reflects God’s heart for women locked behind windows of despair and oppression. Do you remember this photo of the Afghan girl with the piercing green eyes, despair haunting her expression? Steve McCurry, a National Geographic photographer, took the photo in the mid-80s. Soon, her face became an iconic reminder of countless women and girls who are oppressed and abused simply because of their gender. Her riveting eyes make us want to know more about who she is and what her existence is like. She gives a face to entire generations of unseen women.
Our logo designer, Jay Adcock, found the inspiration for our Women in the Window International logo within these green eyes; Women in the Window International is a global ministry that reaches into the window of our world to bring life-giving hope from the One who is the hope of all the world, Jesus Christ: “And His name will be the hope of all the world” (Matthew 12:21 NLT).
Please join us!
Kim Kerr
Executive Director