Half the Sky

I’m reading a fascinating book called “Half the Sky” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (thanks Lisa). I believe every woman, every person who is married to a woman or every person who born by a woman needs to read this book. But be forewarned, it will make you cry.

“Half the Sky” tells story after story about women, primarily in third world countries, who are abused, neglected, persecuted, raped, murdered, kidnapped and trafficked and left to die. Their belief is 107 MILLION women are missing from the earth today because they either die (as a baby, child, girl or woman from causes that are preventable such as maternal mortality), are murdered (women in many countries are considered expendable and replaceable), or are kidnapped and forced into sex slavery.

107 MILLION women

Sometimes I get completely overwhelmed with the amount of desperate need there is in the world. I want to feed orphans, educate children, house the homeless, bring water to the waterless, and heal the sick. I told Tony about a recently graduated college student who decided she would go to the Congo to see what she could do to help. She works in a fistula hospital and in addition to the medical assistance she’s able to give, has started a school for children and teaches skills to the women in the hospital. It made my child sponsorships and quilt making projects seem, well, worthless. It’s not worthless, but I want to do more. Tony listened to me and said, maybe after we pay off the remodel in a few years we can move to Africa.

Of all the humanitarian work I’m interested in, I realize the importance of focusing on women. I’ve spent a lot of time helping orphanages and drop-in centers which feed children. I still believe in those programs, but I also believe orphanages create orphans.

When you focus on helping a woman, you are not only preventing the birth of an orphan, but you will most likely help that woman’s children and the community. It’s been studied and proven over and over that when you educate/help a woman, the first thing she does is educate and care for her children. The best way to fight terrorism would be to educate people, primarily women (this is what Greg Mortensen focuses on in Three Cups of Tea).

What I love about this book is it also tells the stories about people who are doing something about it. And it tells about what we can do to help. There are lots of things every one of us can do. And here are a few of those things:

1. Read the book (or if you don’t have time, call me and I’ll tell you a story daily).
2. Sponsor a woman - I'll post the websites soon!
3. Donate.
4. Go on an expedition.
5. Care. Be an ambassador and spread the word.
Whatever you do, please don’t think about how terrible the state of women in third world countries is and do nothing. I haven’t yet decided my course of action, but I am touched by the stories and inspired by those who labor to change our world for the better. I have several thoughts and ideas – we’ll see where they take me.

And even though it isn’t much, I’ll continue making quilts even if it only means one more warm person in the world.