Om Freely

Om Freely is about living out loud – it’s an online boutique where you can purchase clothing and accessories for yoga and living!

Om Freely believes in abundance and in giving back. Each quarter they donate 10% of their profits to an organization doing work in the world to promote self-expression, freedom and voice.

This quarter they are donating to Women for Women International - so shop with them today!

http://www.omfreely.com/

WHEE - Women Helping to Empower Each other

The Upper School of St. John’s School in Houston, TX added a new club to its list of student groups and organizations. WHEE (Women Helping to Empower Each other) was conceived by teachers Ms. Gara Johnson-West and Ms. Elimari Sánchez-Ortiz, and a group of girls selected from all grades and social groups within the Upper School.

WHEE’s mission is “to celebrate womanhood and educate students about the issues that universally affect women.” They would like to encourage female students to form lasting and empowering relationships with other females within the St. John’s community and beyond – which is why they wanted to get involved with Women for Women International.

The club has participated in workshops and put on a series of bake sales and are proud to have raised $500 to support women survivors of war.

Thank you WHEE and keep up the good work!

Local California Artist

Marlene Greenberg, a Women for Women International supporter and local artist, from Manhattan Beach, CA has created several pieces of art and is donating all of her sales to support women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To learn more about Marlene’s work, please visit http://www.paintingsbymarlene.com/.

Thank you Marlene!

Whether you are an artist or not – you can think of creative ways to support Women for Women International.

Team Gazelles

Donna DeWick and Caroline Boyes of London, UK trained extensively and participated in a 2-week all-women rally through the desserts and beautiful landscapes of Morocco. They asked their friends, family and co-workers to sponsor their effort and support Women for Women International and they raised over $2,000!

You can read more about their travels here http://gazelles08.blogspot.com/. This is another wonderful example of Women for Women International supporters doing cool and creative things to support women survivors of war.

Thank you Donna and Caroline and congratulations on your tremendous feat!

Truck with the Women for Women International logo!

Donna and Caroline!

International School of Brussels

Students at the International School of Brussels set up different booths and did a variety of activities to raise awareness and funds to support Women for Women International. They made and sold jewelry, hand-painted tin cans, bookmarks, photo frames and more! Students organized a club and plan to continue doing events throughout the year.

Organize your school using traditional fundraising efforts and make a huge impact on campus and our program.

Thank you to everyone at the International School of Brussels and keep up the good work!

CSN Staffers support women in Congo!

CSN staffers decided they wanted to do something to support women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A total of 67 CSN employees (34 women/33 men) participated in a Company-Wide Raffle to Support Women in DR Congo. Anyone who donated $5 entered the raffle. CSN staff that donated $20 also received a shirt designed to help raise awareness about violence against women in eastern Congo. One-hundred percent of their donation is being directed to our program. The total donation from employees was approximately $2,000, which CSN matched, bringing it to $4,000 in total.

CSN Employee Lauren Arkema organized the fund-raising effort and said she was very proud of her coworkers and her company. This effort is part of CSN’s Charitable Giving/Donation Matching Program.

Talk to your employer about how you can get your co-workers involved or about their matching gift program!

Poem for Honorata

Spoken word artist Omekongo wrote a beautiful poem for one of our program participants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Honorata. Please read it below and share with your friends. To listen to some of Omekongo’s work, visit his website at www.omekongo.com. To read Honorata’s story, please visit http://www.womenforwomen.org/sfcongo.htm.

Thank you Omekongo for your beautiful work.

Honorata

By Omekongo Dibinga

5 million screams falling on deaf ears
Fatherless children fathered by foreign soldiers
Homes with no husbands
Husbands with no honor
Rape as a tool for much more than power
Pregnant women’s legs spread
Aborted by their own community
Thus another rape committed
Another violation unforgiven
Another lifeless life lived by abandoned women
But on behalf of men worldwide
I ask you to stand with pride
Because your screams were never silent
We were never compliant in these acts so violent
Across oceans we cried for you when you ran out of tears
Incapable of international intervention to assuage your fears
Your stories became our poems
Your horrors inhabited our homes
But now you must hear that we are here for you
I implore you to forgive the world for having ignored you
As they raped you they said Skip to main content“today you will have husbands …”
But as we embrace you I say “today you will have brothers”
For all of my Congolese sisters, daughters, and mothers
Your perseverance is appreciated
Your persistence respected
Though human interest has depreciated
I’ll ensure you’re no longer neglected
Let the world be your pillow to comfort your despair
And let the love of this one man show you that men do care

The Greatest Silence – Premieres on HBO April 8th, 2008 at 10pm

Today in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), people are still struggling after one of the deadliest wars in all history. Millions died and new conflicts threaten peace every day. Perhaps worse than the loss of life is the staggering numbers of human rights violations. A countless number of women as old as 80 and girls as young as 5 have been raped and tortured.

 

Emmy Award winning producer/director Lisa F. Jackson spent 2006 in the war zones of eastern DRC documenting the tragic plight of women and girls in that country’s intractable conflict. She gave the women she interviewed the chance to break The Greatest Silence and share with the world their stories of courage and resiliency. Jackson was herself gang raped in 1976 and shared her experience with the survivors she interviewed. 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.

Host a watch party and join a conference call to learn more. For more information visit the Enough Project at http://www.enoughproject.org/greatestsilence.

We encourage you to watch with your friends and family to learn more about what is happening to women in Congo. Please watch Tuesday, April 8^th, 2008 on HBO at 10pm.

 

Sponsor raises awareness and funds for Congo!

Adella Campbell- Eltantawy mobilized her community and was able to raise $1,000 to support Women for Women International’s program in the Congo. She was then featured in her local Nurses Association’s newsletter!

Alert your workplace or community newsletter about your efforts to support women survivors of war and spread the word even further!