What has this month meant to you?
Maybe you’ve had a talk with your daughter, dreamed up an ambition for yourself or others or you’ve contributed to the conversation. When I think of celebrations like this, there’s a lot to be said for awareness, educating and sharing information.
But action beats intention every time.
Here are some tangible ways you can get involved and make a real impact on the lives of women all across the world:
Africa New Life
1. Noella’s Story
Women and girls in Rwanda need educational opportunities now more than ever.
My friends at Africa New Life are doing some serious systematic work to change the lives of the people of Rwanda and especially to empower women and girls.
📷 Africa New Life
I’ve teamed up with them this month to support Noella, a 29 year old mother of three, through the vocational sewing program. This program teaches women the functional skill of sewing, an industry that has grown by 82% in the last two years. Graduating from the program can more than triple Noella’s monthly income for her family.
The cost for Noella to finish the program is $1800. These funds will help her access vocational and entrepreneurship skills to provide for her family, daycare for her young children, and regular counseling and discipleship.
If you feel led to empower Noella and change her life and that of her family, you can support here.
When you support Noella, you also support her children. The childcare offered to the women in Africa New Life’s vocational training programs helped to reverse malnutrition for 96% of the children in its care during 2020.
That’s just the start.
Africa New Life offers the Dream Daycare to assist women in pursing their vocations as well as the New Life Christian Academy for school aged children.
2. Let’s talk children
Girls are more likely to drop out of school when their families live in poverty and when basic hygiene is not easily accessible.
When you choose educational sponsorship for a child with Africa New Life you support her basic needs like education, food, and faith, you support her family, and help her to earn a higher income which improves the well being of the entire community.
All for only $39 a month.
One of the biggest blessings of educational sponsorships is that you truly get to be involved in their lives. You’re welcome to write your sponsor child, visit through zoom, or even a trip to Rwanda!
Beyonce, Brenda, and Deborah are just three of the girls who have been waiting for a sponsor since 2019. Let’s scoop up these girls and do life with them!
Check out all of the children waiting for a sponsor friend here.
3. Charity: Water
785 million people lack access to clean and safe drinking water. Charity: Water is doing some serious work to change that.
Often, in areas where clean water isn’t easily accessible, it’s the women’s job to go out and seek water, carry it back to their homes, and then tend to it to make sure it’s safe and clean for use.
This costs women and girls time as well as educational and job opportunities.
Charity: Water is working to educate why the water crisis is really a women’s crisis as well as take huge steps to eradicate the issue.
Charity: Water meets you wherever you are in donations. You can make a one time donation or commit to a monthly donation of any amount that is right for you and your family. When you join as a monthly contributor, you’re welcomed into The Spring, which is their exclusive group of monthly donors.
If you’re willing and financially able, supporting their mission at $40 per month can give 12 people clean water every year. It’s good to know too that 100% of donations go directly to fund water projects.
📷 Charity:Water
4. Get involved locally
You can type in your search bar “women’s shelters” or “organizations near me supporting women” and you can find something!
If you’re local to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Gulf Coast Center for Non Violence is working every day on behalf of the safety, security, and health of local women.
You can donate here to support their efforts. If you have clothing or items to contribute, check out their wish list and you can donate them to the Humane Society of South Mississippi Thrift Store on their behalf by mentioning their name.
If you’re not able to contribute monetarily or through items, you can apply here to volunteer your time.
This International Women’s Month I’ve been inspired to truly go international. To care about, contribute what I can, and work toward empowering all women.
When women of the world have the resources they need to live wholesome, meaningful lives, everyone is better for it. Now back to intention being beat out by action:
What action are you going to take to make an impact on a woman’s life today?
