Outreach

The Injustice of Poverty

Like many others around the world, I recently read about the Austrian man who abused his daughter and imprisoned her in a basement for years. I could not imagine what it would be like to live in a basement and never leave the house until today, when I visited a woman named Evan in Baghdad, Iraq. As Women for Women International's assessment team in Baghdad was attempting to identify potential participants for our program, every woman we talked with in the neighborhood told us that we must visit Evan and her family if we were truly looking for the women most excluded from society. When we knocked on the door, Evan answered and immediately welcomed us into her home, following the old Iraqi tradition of hospitality-a tradition that has been impacted severely with the increased insecurity of the country and the fear it reinforces in people's hearts of strangers. That was when I encountered the darkness in which Evan and her family are confined.

The job for us-for every able woman, for every woman who has resources, every woman who has owned her voice-is to help other marginalized and excluded women to live up to their potential while still being WOMEN.-

Zainab Salbi

Her home is the basement of a building. The visit started with a climb down very dark and steep stairs. It was so pitch black that my Iraqi colleagues and I held hands so we could guide each other's steps. By the time we got downstairs, we saw two small bedrooms illuminated only by light from a sliver of window in one of the rooms. The rooms were full of mattresses, clothes, books, and kitchen supplies: the necessities for a family of six. Evan's sisters and brothers hid in between the mattresses in the midst of the darkness. We could hear them breathe and whisper, but we could not see their faces. Evan, 21 and the eldest, was the only one who was willing to talk to us, and she did not hesitate to tell us about her reality. Her father was kidnapped a few years ago and even now they do not know his whereabouts. Her family was kicked out of the place they rented, and they have been living in this dark basement for four years. Evan shared with me, "My mother now cleans homes. I had to quit school because we could no longer afford the book supplies or the uniforms. Because I have three teenage sisters, my mother refuses to allow us to leave out of fear that we will be kidnapped, and so we stay in this place day and night and we do not leave." Evan and her family get one hour of electricity a day, and for the rest of the day they live in utter darkness. When describing the reasons behind her leaving school, Evan was upset and emotional: "I was one year away from graduating high school. I had to leave because of poverty." She talked with tears in her eyes. In that moment, in that darkness, I was reminded of Nyirakamana, whom I had met exactly a month earlier in Rwanda in Murama Village of the Nyamata sector.

It was raining the day I met Nyirakamana, the same day we visited a church in Nyamata where 6,800 people were massacred 15 years ago in the genocide. I got to know Nyirakamana, 26, after meeting the circle of women she belonged to who had established a cassava and groundnut cooperative in Nyamata. Despite the rain that day, all the women in the cooperative came to greet us and insisted that we visit Nyirakamana, the president of their cooperative, in her home. Her peers had such respect and admiration for her that it was hard to resist their wish; if nothing else, we were curious to meet her just to understand the source of her popularity. When we finally went to Nyirakamana's home, it was very obvious that she was a woman not only respected by her peers in the women's cooperative but also by her husband and her father. Her house of three rooms (one is her bedroom and a kitchen, one is a living room, and the third is for her three goats) was also dark, though there were some tiny windows and it was not in a basement. As she was describing her life, Nyirakamana stopped for a second and said, "I had to drop school in the sixth grade." When I asked her why, she looked down, her father looked down, and then she said with a cracked voice, "poverty." I still have tears in my eyes when I think of this moment. You know, sometimes one does not have to say much for another to understand their feelings. Nyirakamana was angry at the poverty that took her away from school and still wishes today to go back and finish her education.

These two women, both in their twenties, a Rwandan and an Iraqi, join hundreds of thousands of women and girls all over the world who have been forced to abandon their education by the injustice of poverty. They both reminded me that we cannot talk about education, particularly the education of girls, as an issue separate from the economic challenges of their families. We cannot talk about building schools if we do not talk about the student's life at home. Can her family feed her? Provide her with clothes? Buy her books? That is where Women for Women International can help: by investing in, educating, and enabling mothers to earn a decent income to provide better opportunities for and secure the schooling of their children. We can ensure the happiness and futures of children by ensuring the happiness and futures of their mothers.

After I left Evan's house, hoping that she will join the Women for Women International program and that we can find her a sponsor, I attended one session of our educational program provided through the Women in the World curriculum. When I asked the women how they are able to meet their basic economic needs and if they are sending their children to school, one woman looked at me and said, "I wish I was a man." When I asked her why, she said, "So I can have the freedom to work, the freedom to choose from much better opportunities, and to earn a decent living so I can give the best to my family." I looked at her and said, "And our job here is to help you become a full woman and a great mother." I have met women in Afghanistan and other parts of the world who had to disguise themselves as men so that they could work, feed their families, and go to school. The job for us-for every able woman, for every woman who has resources, every woman who has owned her voice-is to help other marginalized and excluded women to live up to their potential while still being WOMEN.

I hope you join us if you are not already a part of the Women for Women International family.

Read more about Women for Women International staff in the field
Read more about Zainab Salbi

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Since taking office in January, President Obama has worked to revive American commitment to Afghanistan and to social and economic development in the developing world. Women for Women International's extensive network of sponsors, sisters and staff knows well the importance of this commitment, particularly for women. In our seven years working in Afghanistan, we have seen the struggles-and the possibilities-for progress, personified by thousands of strong women who have survived war and rededicated themselves to rebuilding their lives, families and communities, and ultimately a stronger Afghanistan. We know now more than ever that this is a country-and a people-in need of friends willing to dedicate time and resources to sustainable progress and grassroots empowerment. We must renew our commitment to Afghanistan and, most especially, to Afghan women.

This is a critical time for the women of Afghanistan. Although women flock to the polls and even run for elected office, most development efforts have been focused on Kabul and fail to reach women in the rural villages outside the nation's capital. Parliament has met its constitutional quota of 25-percent female representation, but a majority of Afghan women are illiterate and many face forced marriage, domestic violence, high rates of complications and death in childbirth, and other threats. And as recently as last March, President Karzai authorized a law rolling back women's rights to Taliban-era restrictions on movement, marriage and security, igniting outrage in the international community and provoking mass demonstrations by Afghan women in Kabul who bravely stood up for their endangered human rights.

This year, Women for Women International released its first comprehensive report on the condition of women in Afghanistan. We asked them about the state of their lives, their opinions on everything from politics to security to the economy, their concerns and their vision for the future. We found that the majority of Afghan women-66 percent-are primarily concerned with their personal and their families' safety; they think the government should address the security situation first. When we asked women about their biggest day-to-day problems, 41 percent responded the lack of important basic commodities, and 26 percent indicated their primary need was for sufficient employment opportunities. These are real challenges in Afghanistan, and Afghan women are calling for their resolution. They're talking about-and voting for- peace, development and education.

Women's empowerment is critical to the survival of Afghanistan. At the center of the family is a woman who works tirelessly to feed and clothe her family, to educate her daughters and sons-hers is a strength and dedication critical to the wellbeing and the future of her family and society. We find every day that, despite enormous obstacles, women continue to build and maintain peaceful communities and to give and sustain life and hope in Afghanistan. And they're optimistic despite the greatest of odds. Our report found that over 80 percent of women polled are optimistic for the future of Afghanistan, which tells us that investing in women makes everything possible, even in a country without much cause for hope left.

The important thing is to cultivate this optimism, to invest in women and in peace so that this fledgling trust is not squandered. We must protect and empower the women of Afghanistan.

Afghan women are thriving in and outside the classroom. Since 2004, graduates and other Afghan women have been taking small loans from our microcredit lending program to start and grow small businesses that enrich their families and communities. Our microfinance program was one of the first in the country targeted specifically to women, and, since its inception, it has disbursed over $11 million to more than 47,000 women while maintaining a 98 percent repayment rate. With these funds, women are starting small businesses, supporting families, and rebuilding communities. Stronger women truly do build stronger nations.

The work we do together to support Afghan women is a constant reminder of the immeasurable impact individual women have on the health and prosperity of their families and communities. We must continue to believe-and invest-in the women and the future of a stronger, more stable Afghanistan.

For more information on Women for Women International's Afghanistan program visit www.womenforwomen.org/afghanistan

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As you know, Women for Women International has been a beacon of hope for hundreds of thousands of women in war-torn countries for the past 16 years. The transformation of demoralized victims to confident and economically self-sufficient survivors is taking place every day due to the efforts of more than 125,000 donors and sponsors worldwide.

Through job skills training, health education, rights awareness, and small business training, Women for Women International's year-long program has helped women in eight countries change their own lives and carve a better future for their children, families, and even their communities.

For years we wanted to find a way to continue supporting the women in our programs after graduation. Today, we are proud to announce the groundbreakings of our first Women's Opportunity Centers. By building these Centers, Women for Women International will become a permanent, supportive presence in war-torn countries around the world.

The Opportunity Centers will become lasting symbols of the courage and resilience of every woman who has completed our program and symbols of hope for those we have yet to welcome. The Centers will serve as a source of support, pride, and strength for the women and as a hub of ongoing activity, learning, and commerce for their communities.

The Generous Woman Behind the Center Designs Inspired by a conversation with the passionate and enthusiastic donor, architect Sharon Davis knew she had to get involved. A Columbia University graduate specializing in sustainable design and urban renewal, Sharon is working pro bono to create welcoming, friendly, feminine spaces that will reflect the journey women in our programs have made from victims to active citizens. To keep the buildings as green as possible, Sharon is designing each Center differently based on the geography, climate, and available building materials of the region. Because the women involved in our programs have been through so much, each building will be safe and secure, yet inviting.

Kosovo Groundbreaking Set for Summer 2009 More than 20,000 women who have completed our sponsorship program in Kosovo will have the opportunity to watch as the first-ever Women's Opportunity Center takes shape in the capital of Prishtina. You can just see the excitement on Country Director Hamide Latifi's face as she points to a foundation stake at the Center's site. In America, where new buildings seem to pop up overnight, the idea of a groundbreaking may not seem worthy of so much fanfare. But in a country such as Kosovo, where women are completely isolated from the outside world, having a Women's Opportunity Center is a dream few of us can even imagine.

To keep the cost of heating and cooling low, the building will utilize passive airflow in summer and numerous southern exposure windows and heavy insulation to fight the cold Kosovo winters. Sharon chose to use natural gas to heat the building-a much greener option than the traditional wood- and coal-burning heaters common in Kosovo. The women will even have access to an exciting Internet café inside the Center.

Excitement Is Growing in Rwanda In the photograph below, those small dots you see are actually women in pineapple fields who work hard in the heat and humidity trying to eke out a life for themselves and their families. Through participation in the sponsorship program, these women have learned the beauty of change. And in a few months, they'll experience the wonder of change again as they not only watch but help to build their very own Women's Opportunity Center in Kayonza.

Unlike Kosovo's urban site, the Center's setting in Rwanda is rural. To adapt to this challenge, our innovative architect, Sharon Davis, suggested purchasing manual brick-making machines that will allow the women to turn raw earth into bricks and bricks into a haven. Not only is this an excellent use of the one available resource, the women are learning a valuable job skill, too. Once the Center is complete, the machines will stay on site for the women to use to make bricks to improve their own homes or even sell to support their families.

The small blue circles on the table, right, are the architectural prototypes for the Women's Opportunity Center in Rwanda. The Center will feature a central, womb-like gathering pavilion with a capacity for 300, surrounded by smaller, circular outbuildings. This layout is reminiscent of tribal huts and is common in Rwanda, helping to make the Center fit into the landscape. Sharon is also utilizing traditional materials such as corrugated steel, but in new and innovative ways that capture this element of growth.

The Center will be self-sustaining, incorporating good airflow, shade, solar energy, and reclaimed rainwater. By using biogas for cooking and solar energy for power, the Center will be green and essentially "off the grid." Because the horrors of the genocide are still fresh in the minds of so many Rwandan women, Sharon Davis is also making sure that the buildings are safe and secure, yet not overwhelming or imposing. By November of this year, the 26,123 Rwandan women we've served should see their Center come to life as a permanent reminder of the amazing strides they've already made and will continue to make!

We hope to be able to establish Women's Opportunity Centers in every country where we work. It is our passionate mission to see that each of the Centers become lively spaces where women can gather for learning, support, camaraderie, and community events-where they can do everything from socialize with other women to continue their education, set up their own markets and stands, or even rent tools or buy seed and grain in bulk. Each site will have security staff to ensure that the women have a safe and secure environment. For the first time ever, the women will have access to libraries, continuing counseling, and further instruction in microfinance. The Centers will even host men's awareness programs that encourage men to support the women and understand women's rights.

The permanent presence of the Women's Opportunity Centers will support the graduates' endeavors beyond their year of sponsorship. The Centers will inspire graduates to keep striving for self-reliance and send a message to the community that they have a strong champion in Women for Women International.

Read more about the women of Rwanda
Read more about the women of Kosovo

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Run for Congo Women: Five Years and Counting!

Since 2005, numbers of inspiring & dedicated women have jogged, biked, rollerbladed, and climbed their way to a brighter future for their sisters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where ongoing violence threatens the life of each and every woman. Runners from 10 states and four countries participating in more than 2,600 events have raised money and inspired others to help our sisters in the Congo build a securer life for themselves and their families.

In the DRC, a country torn by civil wars and ethnic conflict, no woman is safe from violence. Unable to protect themselves and their children from the abuses perpetrated by both sides of the conflict, the mothers, sisters, and daughters of the Congo have suffered unimaginable horrors. But individuals around the world are coming together to share their love and support for these courageous women.

Run for Congo Women began nearly five years ago with one woman and her determination to make a difference and tell others about the suffering in the DRC. Tuning into a special segment on the Congo on television one morning in January 2005, Lisa Shannon, a 32-year-old filmmaker, responded with tears and anger as women shared their stories of sexual slavery, torture, and family members lost to the violence. Lisa knew that she could not forget the heartache she had witnessed.

Moved by these tenacious women who had persevered to share their experiences with the world, Lisa learned about Women for Women International's work to support the survivors along their difficult path to healing. The Oregon resident decided to join their struggle and undertook a 30-mile marathon along Portland's trying Wildwood Trail. When Lisa reached the finish line, she had raised over $30,000, enough to bring the gift of sponsorship to more than 80 women!

Since that solo run, woman after woman has joined Lisa's efforts to bring Women for Women International's message of hope to an ever-growing family of sisters. Run for Congo Women has been embraced by warm-hearted and generous-spirited individuals who are transforming public indifference and turning their determination into real, positive change for their sisters.

And women aren't just throwing on their track shoes-dinner parties, prayer gatherings, lemonade stands, and concerts are just a few of the creative ways in which supporters are making a huge difference to women who have survived a horrific war.

Join Run for Congo Women and Women for Women International as we fight for the future of our sisters in the Congo and their families! Take to the trail with other passionate individuals at one of our upcoming runs:
September 19 - Morrison, CO: 5K and 10K
September 19 - Portland, OR: 3- or 9-Mile Run (or Walk)
September 26 - New York, NY: Run (or Walk)
September 27 - Tempe/Phoenix, AZ: 5K Run (or Walk)
October 3 - Chicago, IL: Run (or Walk)

Or host an alternative event (see RunForCongoWomen.org for our Fundraiser Support Kit, ideas, and more information).

Reach out to a woman in need and show her that she is not alone. With your determination and the support of family and friends, each step you take can bring the promise of hope to a woman in the Congo. Our sisters need our help-it's time to lace up those running shoes!

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A Gala Evening in London

Women for Women International-UK hosted its second annual Gala Evening on Thursday May 7 at the Natural History Museum, London. With the help of generous contributions by artists Marc Quinn, Grayson Perry, Paula Rego and Annie Morris; performances by Amina Annabi and magician David Jarre; and donations by Lorenz Bäumer, Zaha Hadid, John Pawson, Belmacz, Julia Muggenburg and Brown's, the Gala Evening raised nearly $800,000 to help establish and sustain new training and economic projects for the women of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Nigeria and Sudan.

Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO of Women for Women International, launched the Gala Evening by highlighting the ongoing need for investment in women: “By helping to support our projects and investing in the future of our work, you will help change the world one woman at a time. And that is an investment that can guarantee amazing returns-if you invest in a woman, you invest in her family, in her community, in her society. Investment in the economy, in policy, in many things always has a 50-50 chance of failing, but I have yet to see any investment in women fail.”

In a specially recorded video message, Gala patron Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan stressed, “When you invest in women survivors of war, you spark a multiplier effect. Empowered women are crucial to reconstruction and lasting peace. They're not asking for charity: they just need a chance to show what they can do. Now is not the time to give up on these women. Now is when they need us more than ever.”

The event was planned with the goal of funding specific projects. Because of the success of the evening, Women for Women International met all its fund-raising targets for the following projects:

1. Beekeeping and Woodworking vocational training in Kosovo.
2. Four new ovens for Tile Production facilities in the Congo.
3. Ten new greenhouses for Seedling Sales training in Bosnia.
4. Five new Bakeries in Southern Sudan.
5. One new Goat Breeding center in Rwanda.
6. Launch of a Commercially Integrated Farming Initiative (CIFI) in Afghanistan.
7. Two new Poultry Farming centers in Nigeria

To view Queen Rania's video and other Women for Women International videos, visit our Videos page.

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Reflections of a Volunteer

Somehow I had never heard of Women for Women International until I read a newspaper article about it five years ago. Zainab's story about the organization was so inspiring that I was thrilled to learn that its headquarters are in Washington, D.C, where I live, and that it needed volunteers. I have been a volunteer ever since.

Daytime volunteers have the opportunity to get to know the professional staff-I think of them as walking, breathing angels-dedicated, smart, fun, diverse. The daytime group is smaller than the evening group, but with a solid core of steady, experienced workers. Our current project is to help test a new computerized letter-logging system. In the evenings, the group tends to be leaner, new faces always joining the veterans, random discussions, funny stories, music, pizza and processing heaps of letters.

What is it about volunteering at Women for Women International that keeps me coming back day after day, week after week? There are times when Zainab drops by to encourage us in our work. And there is the opportunity to learn from the Country Directors during their annual visit to Washington about the work being done in the field for the women around the world whom we serve.

But for me, the reason I continue to volunteer is ultimately just this: the letters exchanged by the sponsors and their sisters. The letters from abroad tell tales of unbelievable hardship, strength and survival. And though each letter reflects the personality of an individual, there are often distinguishing characteristics in the letters from each country-beautiful handmade needlework gifts from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, poetic terms of endearment from Afghanistan, photos of women working in Nigeria, and colorful hand drawings that beautify the letters from Iraq.

Imagine sitting in a group of volunteers, silently reading letters, and coming upon one of the rare ones that opens up and draws you into the writer's heart. There are few in the world who have the gift of expression, a talent to use words to truly communicate with others. So whenever I come across such a letter, I am inspired once again by the remarkable resiliency of the women in the sponsorship program, and I make sure to bring the letter to the staff's attention, to be used to inspire others to join Women for Women International and make a difference.
-Elaine Joselovitz

The author is a dedicated weekly volunteer. For more information on volunteering at Women for Women International, email volunteers@womenforwomen.org.

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