woman to woman

On a more serious note, this is an email /update from Women for Women International. If you are reading this, there is no way this cannot touch your heart. Please consider this charity. It is so important for us to lend a hand to those who are struggling. The woman I am now sponsoring sends me Christmas cards and letters. They are a precious reminder of the small donation I make making a huge difference in someone else's life.

From the bottom of my soul.
Sissel

The Greatest Silence - Rape in the Congo
Premieres on HBO April 8 at 10 pm ET check local listings




The most recent data indicates that more than 5.4 million people have been killed in the war and conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Human rights violations continue at staggering levels and rape as a weapon of war continues to be perpetrated.

Emmy Award winning producer and director Lisa F. Jackson visited the war zones in the eastern DRC and the offices of Women for Women International there. She documented the tragic plight of women and girls in the country's intractable conflict and gave the women she interviewed the chance to break The Greatest Silence. The film is a journey into a literal heart of darkness, a search for survivors who pay witness to their own experiences, and break the silence.

We encourage you to watch and share this information with friends to learn more about what is happening to women the DR Congo. Please watch Tuesday, April 8 on HBO at 10pm or check you local listings for additional air times.

Women for Women International’s New Study Finds
Iraqi Women Want Jobs, Security and National Unity

Women for Women International recently released the latest installment of our Stronger Women, Stronger Nations report series, designed to amplify the unheard voices of women in Iraq. Our 2008 Iraq report, featured by BBC World News, found that the current insecurity, lack of infrastructure and controversial leadership of Iraq has transformed the situation for women from relative autonomy and security into a national crisis.

Women for Women International surveyed more than 1,500 Iraqi women, finding that:

• 89% believe that someone in their family will be killed in the next year.
• 70% of women say their family cannot afford to pay for the necessities of daily life.
• 76% of respondents said that girls in their family are not allowed to attend school.
• 88% of women thought that the separation of people along ethnic or religious lines was a bad thing.

Women for Women International Founder and CEO Zainab Salbi recently returned to her native Iraq – her personal experiences and interactions with Iraqi women reflect the findings of the Stronger Women, Stronger Nations report.

“Peace—real peace—means that there are schools for children to attend, and that it is
safe for them to go. Peace means having three meals a day, a job, and a home to come
back to. It is time for women to be involved, not just in symbolic ways, but through full participation at every level, from the family dinner table to the highest levels of the government. Strong women lead to strong nations.”
-Zainab Salbi

Although women in Iraq face instability and hardships, sponsors like you are helping Women for Women International bring Iraqi women the skills and training they need to help rebuild their country. Since reopening our Iraq office in fall 2006, we have helped more than 2,900 women in Iraq. Thank you for your dedication to helping the women of Iraq.

To read the Stronger Women, Stronger Nations: 2008 Iraq Report, please visit our website at www.womenforwomen.org/iraq.

Winter 2008 Newsletter Available Online

Our newsletter Outreach is now available on our website! This issue features the story of Sadije Bublaku, a Kosovar woman’s triumph against the devastation of war. To watch a video about Sadije, visit www.womenforwomen.org/kosovo. If you didn’t receive your copy of Outreach in the mail, or want to share it with a friend, it is available at www.womenforwomen.org/outreachwinter08.

Exciting Staff Updates

We are expanding our Sponsorship Team to better serve our sponsors and their sisters. Please join us in welcoming new Sponsorship Coordinators.

Sponsorship Coordinators
Priscilla Muntemba Taylor: Rwanda, DRC, Sudan
Elizabeth Walker: Bosnia, Kosova, Iraq
Sara Grigera: Afghanistan, Nigeria

Question of the Month
Your sister is learning job skills so that she can provide for her family. For many women, this may be the first time they are earning an income. Tell your sister about your first job – was it fun, difficult, boring? What did you learn from it?