Monday was International Women’s Day. It is the 99th year of this global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future (go to http://www.internationalwomensday.com/ for more information). This year’s theme is Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all. The inclusivity of this statement is a declaration of sufficiency, of enoughness for all. The reminder that when we lift up the marginalized, the invisible, the oppressed, we all benefit.
Monday was International Women’s Day. It is the 99th year of this global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future (go to http://www.internationalwomensday.com/ for more information). This year’s theme is Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all. The inclusivity of this statement is a declaration of sufficiency, of enoughness for all. The reminder that when we lift up the marginalized, the invisible, the oppressed, we all benefit.
This is the message of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, the modern tome of the International Women’s Movement. New York Times reporters Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn traveled the globe talking to women from the lowest castes, the seediest neighborhoods, the poorest families and wrote their stories of suffering and in many cases, of renewal, into this anthology and call to action. As a note to future readers of this book: they leave you hopeful, if not clutching your chest in empathy. Throughout, and a large part of the later chapters, you are directed to organizations and efforts in which to invest, given guidance as to how to both powerfully perceive the dire situations of girls and women worldwide and take action by contributing time, money and your voice. The authors are, if nothing, staunch supporters of Americans getting abroad to broaden their perspectives.
What I am thinking about this week are the invisible stories of women on the edges of their villages due to the systemic undermining of their value as contributions to society, the women who find the courage and means to go on with their life after they are abused and neglected, and the women and men who devote their lives to the work of listening to the stories, the needs, the dreams of girls and women around the world, and to empowering them with resources, encouragement and organization to heal themselves and thrive.
The programs, organizations and methods that seem to work, according to the authors of Half the Sky, appear to be the ones that operate inside of sufficiency*. They are the hospitals, schools and outreach projects that include the women they serve, empower the women to make their own decisions and distribute resources, seek win-win outcomes, create community among the women, and are fiercely loving.
It is now a well documented fact now that when you empower the women of a community, everyone benefits. When you give the women of a community the money and the resources, children are fed, schools are built, clean water flows and crops flourish. This week I celebrate these women, these men, these projects, and I pray for the courage and the wisdom to be so brave. This week I look at where I allocate my resources and ask myself if I am directing my energy – my money – towards that which I care about, if I am uplifting those around me, so that we may all be uplifted.
Note: The majority of projects intended to help the underserved fail. The exact number is unclear, but it is an interesting point nonetheless that in an age of scarcity there is an uphill battle in determining the most effective course of action within the intention of being helpful.