Empowering Women: Conscious Social Change through Mind, Body and Spirit

Anyone who has seen Hotel Rwanda caught a glimpse of the 1994  3 month genocide of 800,000 Rwandans. What we don't know/ hear about is what has happened to the Rwandan survivors.

Melissa

My women's spirituality group was blessed to hear first hand from one of our newest members, Melissa, who first traveled to Rwanda on a Fulbright scholarship and then joined the group Global Grassroots which not only allows her to visit and live in Rwanda but most importantly to serve Rwandans.   The organization has classes and grants for women to rebuild themselves, their communities and country.  Melissa considers Rwanda her home and her ties run deep. 

The '94 genocide left many women without spouses as the males were either killed or incarcerated. Women became heads of households and single Mothers. A shocking 70% of women were raped and the HIV virus is rampant throughout the country. The mental and physical repercussions are great so women are offered classes concentrating on mind, body and spirit which include hygiene, literacy, language, financial, and even skirt-yoga classes to name a few. Education helps in employability for these women and their children. 

Global Grassroots helps individual applicants complete their micro financing through applications, providing writers if needed to interpret the plan/need. Grants are based on benefitting others. If the project is too big, larger donors are approached (i.e.. the Buffet and Gates families).

Cooperatives/Collectives are formed, knowledge shared, small businesses started, schooling provided for forgotten parts of the society such as ostracized prostitutes and their children who are taught skills such as tailoring, etc... Monies obtained can help with supplies for health clinics, used eyeglass distribution just to name a few. NGO's are instrumental in the rebuilding of a war torn country.

This little one has started her water toting duties.

One of the major projects granted by Grassroots Global in Rwanda is access to water.  The cost of drilling of a well is not cheap and even with government aid, toting water back and forth from the well is an all day affair with youngest children being trained from a very early age. Retention tanks and gutters can be bought with grant monies to gather rainwater during the rainy season. If there is access to water then children can attend school.

There is so much we take for granted in the U.S. Thank you Melissa for giving us a dose of reality. May Rwanda continue to heal and for all us to remember to serve our world community however we can.

Here is a link to learn more about Global Grassroots