Paul very much reminded me of myself, not because I am a hero, but because it happens that I was many times in a situation where my life was on the edge. But God was always with me, and protected me and saved me for a reason. I worked for nine years as a volunteer with the Mother Theresa Humanitarian Association, and I found joy in helping people with their lives. But I wanted very much for the people themselves to take part in this process so that it was not just passive giving. When I came to Women for Women International I found this was the case. We help rebuild lives, but each woman must do her part as well. We all give and gain at the same time.
Each woman in our program has her sponsor, and has a chance to share her ideas, information and values with a woman thousands of miles away. Twenty-three percent of the participants in our program cannot read or write when they join. Throughout the course of the year, many women take it upon themselves to learn to read and write, so they can write a letter themselves to their sponsor. One of our goals is to have all of our participants be able to read and write by the time they graduate from our program in Kosovo.
The letters sent to the sponsors require so much from Kosovar women. Ninety-five percent of the women in our program wrote a letter for the very first time in their lives when they wrote their first letter to their sponsor. Considering all the disadvantages these women face each and every day - a lack of electricity, running water, and the basic necessities of life -- the number of letters they write is amazing. From January to May 2005, Kosovar women wrote 2,355 letters to their sponsors; but they only received 1,159 in return during the same period.
In all my visits to the field, many women asked for letters, especially those who never heard from their sponsors. Sometimes there have been cases when women wrote three, four, and five letters and never heard back. Sad and confused, the women come to tell Women for Women International staff, "You advised me to write, I wrote to my sponsor but I never heard back, should I write again?"
No matter what country you sponsor a woman in, I want to encourage you to write to your sister. I wish I could better share with you what it means for a woman in our program to receive a letter. In Kosovo, letters from sponsors are an event in each village. Women get together and share the letter, each of them proud of her sponsor. The women then put the letter in a place where they can see it every day. Sponsors are an inspiration to the women to start a new day, and to believe in themselves on days when they are too tired to come to trainings or to go about their daily lives.
As I saw in Hotel Rwanda and "Hotel Kosovo", there are so many similarities in the world, and again, so much division; this reminded me of what I liked about Women for Women International from the first day - the organization connects people and provides education. When it comes to our participants, it is on individual level. Each woman participant in the program has her sponsor and has a chance to share ideas, information and values-rebuilding lives and fighting injustice, this is the cause we fight for.
In a very turbulent world Women for Women International has become to me - and to the women we serve - synonymous with trust, peace and stability. Please continue to write your letters to the women here, to let them know they are not alone.
Thank you for all that you do to support women in Kosovo and around the world.
