Hazel Seavey coordinates the ministries of Heart of Africa for vulnerable African widows. Among the most neglected groups of people in Africa, widows face daunting challenges just to survive, much less to provide for their families and contribute to the welfare of their communities. She works with widows, who are the forgotten and downtrodden in most African cultures in the countries of South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda thus far. 

Hazel Seavey and her husband Keith live in Washington, Maine. They have 3 adult sons and 6 grandchildren. She came to know Christ as her Savior at the age of 16 but did not start her journey into ministry until much later in life.  Her husband Keith works as a machine operator for the Town of China and supports the vision God has given her for the ministry. 

For the past 17 years, Hazel has been traveling to Africa working to empower widows to grow spiritually, be strengthened financially, and lifted socially for Christ. Hazel trains them in micro-business, organizes them in cooperative fellowships of 30 women each, and provides them with materials for spiritual and personal growth. At the end of the week of training, each widow receives a micro-loan to build or boost their business.  After which the loan is repaid to their own group for subsequent loan or can be used to fund a new widow into the group. The weeklong training emphasizes personal identity and value, vision, perception, discernment, effects of trauma and forgiveness.  Through these fellowships strong bonds of unity and support are forged. 

Hazel is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and helps serve at her local church in Maine. She counts it as a privilege to visit churches or groups to share about The Widows’ Work ministry. 

In March 2021, Hazel quit her job at the dental office to follow her passion full-time as the Director of Widows’ Ministries for Heart of Africa.  Since then, the Lord has been enlarging the widow’s ministry immeasurably more than she could ask or imagine! 

To see more about this work or how you can help, visit her ministry page.