Update on Women for Women
After discussing it with Brad, we have decided to sponsor another woman. Their are 500 women in Iraq who have been chosen to be enrolled in the program and WfWI is doing its best to match these women with sponsors. Due to the security risks involved, we will not be able to communicate with our sisters, nor will we receive pictures of them or know their last names.
I urge you to look into your heart (and finances) and see if you can afford the $27/month that the program needs. I know it's not a paltry amount, but as the US created many of the problems in Iraq, it is up to us to do our best to fix them. While going there is not an option, this is a small step to show that while we may have helped to create a civil war, it was, perhaps, done with good, albeit naive, intentions.
3 comments:
I am uable to keep myself from asking this...how in the world do you know that you are not sponsoring women being used in terrorist plots if you are unable to discern one iota of information on how they are being helped? And I hardly think that life with saddam hussein in power was an improvement over the current unstable situation. I am only voicing what was first to come to mind, no harm intended. Cath
Good question, Cathy. While I won't her name or have her picture, I do know how her money is being used. WFWI if very clear about the breakdown of their funds. Additionally, this is an organization that has a long track record of actually changing the lives of the women they sponsor. The founder of the organization has been recognized many many times for the work she's done all over the world, both in Christian and Muslim nations. So I feel confident that my money will help a woman in Iraq begin to rebuild her life.
In regards to comparing the situation with Saddam to the current one, I think that's difficult to do. In many ways, Iraqis had more freedoms with Saddam. Perhaps not on paper, but there is a civil war occurring right now in the streets. People cannot leave their homes for fear of assassination. We went in with a few pledges: find the weapons of mass destruction, bring peace, stability and democracy. Those things have not happened. In fact, we were lied to about WMDs: they never existed. We have taken a place that was harsh and turned it into a place of chaos. In the month of October, 100 American troops died, one of the highest monthly tallies since the beginning of the "war". (I put war in quotes because our Congress has never declared war. It is the only body in the US which has the power to do so.) Things are not getting better. The proposal now is to create three separate countries where there used to be one in order to satisfy the desires of each independent group, something which was warned of before we went in. We are looking to divide this country even further. So while I agree that the situation under Saddam was dreadful, I don't think there's been any improvement.
My response got a little long-winded, so I am posting it as a new thread.
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