What Your Sister Will Learn
The Women for Women International Program
Finding her voice, learning new skills
As a result of war and conflict, women lose everything that ever mattered to them, including their sense of self. Their voices are silenced. And even if they were to speak, there is no safe place where they can voice their pain.
We provide your sister with a safe haven where she can express herself, share her feelings with other women, and actively participate in the rebuilding of her life and her community.
"I never though I would have the opportunity to support myself without a man. Now I can do it. I am doing it!"
— Program participant in Afghanistan
During the program, she will learn about her rights as both a woman and a citizen. She will receive leadership training to allow her to become a role model for others in her community and health care training to improve her own health and the health of her family.
Connecting with other survivors
Sadly, rape and torture are used as tools of war to make women feel isolated, alone, and worthless. They lose their husbands and children, and are left to fend for themselves in the midst of chaos.
But your sister is not alone anymore. Now she has you -- and a group of women in own her community who are going through the program with her. These women are her sisters as well. During the program, they connect with one another and learn together. Some women go into business together and form co-ops, and may stay in touch after they graduate from the program.
Achieving financial independence
Our goal for your sister is for her to graduate from the program with the ability to provide for herself and contribute to the family income. She must be able to earn a living in order to move forward and rebuild her life.
The Sponsorship Program will teach her skills that she can use for income generation - skills that are relevant and needed in her community. Women enrolled in the program have become dairy farmers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, livestock rearers in Afghanistan, and textile producers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Often, women receive microcredit loans (small business loans) to begin their own businesses. Some women are such successful entrepreneurs that they are able to employ dozens of graduates from the Women for Women International program and help raise up the entire community.
