Women Survivors of War
Afghanistan - Bosnia - Rwanda
The Soroptimist International 2003–2007 Quadrennial
Project partners with:
Women for Women International
on
Project Independence: Women Survivors of War.
Project Independence provides direct aid to women in war-torn countries such as Afghanistan, Bosnia and Rwanda and helps them meet basic needs for themselves and their families. The program provides women survivors of war and civil strife with tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty into a civil society that promotes and protects peace, stability and self-sufficiency.
80% of all
refugees and displaced persons globally are women and children.
Rape is consciously used as a tool of genocide and weapon of war.
70% of the 1.2
billion people living in desperate poverty are female.
One out of six women under Taliban controlled Afghanistan tried to commit
suicide.
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The Sponsorship Program will provide direct aid to 1200 women who will receive a monthly income, enabling them to support their families while they participate in skills training.· |
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The Renewing Women's Life Skills Training will provide job skills training and leadership development for all sponsored women.· |
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The Microcredit Lending Program will provide loans to 600 women to start businesses once they have completed the skills training program. |
The fundraising goal of Project
Independence is $1.2 million US
Any additional funds raised will go to assist more women.
Visit the Project
website and print the Soroptimist Club Protocol.
Read Dawn
Marie Lemonds report from Bosnia.
Link Here!
Afghanistan is a country devastated by decades of war, poverty, and oppressive rule. The economic, social, and political situation in the country has been severely affected by years of instability and political chaos. In Afghanistan, women have endured unimaginable hardships in a 23-year war. The Taliban demeaned women with repressive laws, public humiliation and beatings, and a denial of basic dignity and human rights.
Rwanda is populated by three ethnic groups: Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. They speak the same language, have the same culture, and, for centuries, have intermarried. Following a 1994 genocidal conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi, and the decades of ethnic strife that preceded it, Rwanda is in the process of rebuilding its economic and social infrastructure. In Rwanda, an estimated 500,000 women and girls - some as young as 5 - were systematically tortured, physically abused, and raped during the genocide.
