International Women’s Day

The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2012 is Empower Women–End Hunger and Poverty.

While most countries have made strides in development of women’s rights, there is still much to be done.  The UN reports:

Many women around the world still cannot get access to secondary education.
1 in 7 girls in some developing countries is forced to marry before the age of 15.
Women want access to reproductive healthcare but cannot get access to it.
Women around the globe will lose a child every 20 seconds from a disease that could have been prevented if they had access to lifesaving vaccines.
Many women, in what should be one of the happiest moments of their lives, go into childbirth not knowing if they will come out alive because they do not have access to proper maternal healthcare.
For many women, cooking the daily meal can be deadly beacuse they do not have access to clean cookstoves, and unsafe cooking methods put their homes and their health in jeopardy every day.

All of these hold true for the women (and girls) of Ethiopia.  That’s why I am so very glad that Ethiopian Orphan Relief is partnered with Children’s Heaven.  Children’s Heaven’s mission is to:

“Embrace and empower  the precious orphaned girls entrusted to our care in an effort to minimize their socioeconomic vulnerability.”

This is accomplished through various means of support.  The girls of Children’s Heaven go to school, receive tutoring, learn vocational skills, are provided with health care, and participate in a daily nutrition program all in an effort to…”see all our girls lead healthy and productive adult lives.”

  Many of these services are provided by YOU, the supporters of Ethiopian Orphan Relief.  Your donations advance the cause of Ethiopian women.  Be proud of the work that you do.  You make it possible to end hunger and poverty for women (and their families) in 2012.

Let’s help Hanna Fanta (founder of Children’s Heaven) feed those lovely girls in honor of International Women’s Day.  A $5 dollar donation feeds 9 girls a daily meal.  Consider making your donation today.  As a bonus, I’ll make an additional donation for each comment left, and each donation made to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Paige