Posts Tagged ‘Women for Women International’

16 Dec

Everything is Connected

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration. Tagged: , , , , , .

I want to share this experience because it is HUGE for me.

I had the great pleasure and good fortune several weeks ago to teach a travel writing class in New York, and while small, the intimacy of the group allowed me to just flat out fall in love with my students.

One of these remarkable women, Laura Mayer, is a high school teacher for kids with learning disabilities, and she found a crack-the-crust way to bring the world into her classroom. She had connected to Women for Women International, an organization committed to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives. In addition to her personal commitment, Laura felt there was an opportunity here to expand the horizons of her New York class via the life of her “sister” in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I was proud of Laura’s writing in our class, and even more here, where she opens up her heart. Her letter to Women for Women International and a link to their posting of her work, is after the jump. Please read it. Laura and her kids will grab you. I promise. Continue reading →

24 Sep

Clinton Global Initiative-Day 2

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration. Tagged: , , , , , .

borderCGI-DAY TWO

Lordy I love Diane Sawyer—she is just so damn smart and so unpretentious. She lets you in on everything without making you feel stupid—no small feat at this event where we swim in statistics and stories of hardship (and eventual stories of victory and success)

This morning’s plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative is “Investing in Girls and Women.” Bill Clinton looks better rested today as he sets the context: Every problem in the world today is exacerbated by gender inequality. Women perform 66% of the world’s work, they produce 50% of the world’s food supply (in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia it is 60%-80% of the food supplied by women), but they only earn 10% of the income and own only 1% of the world’s property. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 59% of HIV/AIDS cases are women, almost none of them contracting it through their own high-risk behaviors, but contracting it from non-monogamous partners as well as a huge number of women and girls who are sexually molested/raped. 75% of the Sub-Saharan youth HIV/AIDS patients are women and children—infected by sexual molestation. Continue reading →