Like most of you reading this-I grew up in an amazing country where I was free. As a woman I was free to go to school, not just up to high school either-University! I was free to get my driver's licence, I was free to play sports and eventually I was free to vote, get a job, believe in Jesus Christ and even choose my own husband. However, as we know that is not always the case for other women in the World.
In Liberia I am constantly amazed of the resilience and strength of the women of this country. Liberia is a free country, however, for many women they are not free. Freedom-I believe is closely linked to opportunity. If you live in a country where opportunities for women are limited, your freedom is also limited. Many women in Liberia do not have the opportunity to go to school or to participate in sustainable income generation activities. Instead they are dependent on others to read the directions on a pill bottle or they are dependent on hand to mouth farming-never being able to have a little extra food or money to save for an emergency.
When I was in Foya with the SPUK team I was able to visit some projects that are giving women opportunities to change their lives. You have read a lot about the CLP literacy classes and how we link that with a livelihood project for the participants.
CLP participant with her new bunnies!
In this blog I have also mentioned our fishponds and how they are used to assist vulnerable women in communities-to give them the opportunity to earn some income. We also have a USAID project that is primarily focused on income generating projects to also give women the opportunity to farm swamp rice and raise pigs.
Some of the women in the program planting swamp rice.
The chairwoman of the project keeping a watchfall eye over the planting!
If you want to see much better photos about this program including on of the piggery check out Joni's blog: http://jonesinliberia.blogspot.com/
These projects are giving women new opportunities to gain freedom-freedom to further their education, freedom to earn more money to send their kids to school!
Tomorrow the people of Liberia will be practicing their right of freely voting for government leaders. The opportunities that our projects have given women will play a role in tomorrow's voting-thanks to CLP women will be able to read who they are voting for not just look at the political party's logo! Please pray and remember Liberia tomorrow - that people will be free to vote for who they want.
As it is Canadian Thanksgiving today-take time (whether you are American, British etc.) to give thanks for your freedom-especially us women. No other time in history do women in developed nations have the opportunities and freedoms than now. Remember and pray for those women still living in oppression-who are still dependent on others for everything to survive. Freedom is one of those things that you don't realize how powerful it is until it is taken away from you.
As I prepare to run I take time to thank God that I can run-that I, as a woman am free to run. I run for all of our projects that give women the opportunity to gain freedom-and tomorrow as Liberians go to the polls to vote-I will go for run-praying that through free elections -peace will be the main winner.
*The views on this post are strictly my personal views and not that of my employer.*
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