The Girl Effect

This week has been hectic crazy completely insane for us. Life is very full, so much is going on and we are running ragged. I am really hoping for a snow day tomorrow. Check the link....it could happen.

In the midst of the craziness, I went to the gym on Tuesday to run for a bit and happened to catch a really fantastic episode of Oprah, surprisingly enough. She was interviewing Nick Kristof, a two time pulitzer prize winning journalist for the New York Times who focuses on Globalization, Human Rights, Women's Rights, etc. He is a very eloquent man who recently released a book, co-authored by his wife, entitled Half the Sky which focuses on sex trafficking, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality. These are the issues that millions of women around the world are facing in their everyday lives....."while we shop," as Oprah put it.

This book looks amazing. I went home and told Josh I wanted to add it to my Christmas list. After the car wreck I was in yesterday involving my poor honda civic and a nasty metal fence (don't worry, the fence is fine) the book is now the only thing on my Christmas list.

My experience in Peru taught me that our equal status as women in the United States is absolutely unique. We have a lot to be thankful for in this world. My friend Karin and I did some research on gender based violence in the Congo last Spring for her Senior AP English class. The realities of that situation are shocking. Here are some links to articles and organizations relevant to the issue.  

Congo Women Fight Back, Speak about Rape
Aid Groups are Little Help for Congo Brutality
Heal Africa
Women for Women

One solution for the problems described in Half the Sky is education and micro-finance. Educating women in the developing world is also highlighted in the spectacular book Three Cups of Tea which documents Greg Mortenson's attempts to build schools for women in Afghanistan. Education is a powerful tool that can change women's lives and consequently change the lives of their communities and countries. On Tuesday's episode, Oprah showed the following video, which I thought was really inspiring and wanted to share. These are important issues and we must be aware of the struggles that so many women are facing in this world in order to help by informing others, praying, donating, etc.