This is a day to remember widows and children of our service members and peace workers who have died in our current and past wars. War kills warriors and leaves their wives and children behind with wounded lives. Worldwide, women become widows for a myriad of reasons including HIV/AIDS, ethnic cleansing, poverty, and armed conflict. Now it seeks support to have the day recognized by the United Nations. This organization provided the push behind the establishment of International Widow's Day first observed in the United Kingdom in 2005. Its poverty reduction strategies intend to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals by helping widows and their children out of poverty. The Loomba Foundation works to help widows and orphans with education, health, small businesses, and social isolation. These commandments notwithstanding, many millions of women still suffer. God promises blessings if we do this, but God also promises judgment against the nations who oppress widows, orphans, and strangers (Malachi 3:5). God commands that we set aside this portion so there will be food in God's house (Malachi 3:10). It does not belong to us, but is dedicated to God. The tithe is considered the sacred portion of our income. The Bible goes on to instruct people that when they harvest their fields, olive trees, and grape vines that they leave some behind for widows, orphans, and strangers in the land. Do not take a widow's garment for a pledge" (Deuteronomy 24:17). "Do not deprive resident aliens or orphans of justice. Widows, orphans, and aliens have legal protection. "Rejoice before the LORD your God - you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female slaves, the Levites residents in your towns, as well as the strangers, the orphans, and the widows who are among you - at the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name" (Deuteronomy 16:11). The Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Booths, both harvest celebrations, were to include widows, orphans, and aliens. Widows were to be included in community celebrations. The Bible speaks of social inclusion, justice, and economic provision for them over and over in the book of Deuteronomy alone. The care of widows, orphans, and aliens is a divine command. Even in the West, in the United States, a woman's life becomes much more precarious when her husband dies. She becomes subject to prejudice, discrimination, superstition, and exploitation because she loses not only social status but the economic security that her husband provided. In many places in the world when a woman is widowed, she becomes an outcast. It is a day to consider the lives of their children. It is a day set aside to consider the lives of the more than 245 million widows worldwide.