Diary From Rwanda: One Woman's Story

A year ago, I was invited to join a very special group of women in London in supporting the multiple award-winning NGO, Women for Women International. Women for Women is highly respected in a field of hundreds of NGOs because of the effectiveness of its programs, the strength and integrity of the women who work in the field, and the values and courage of its remarkable founder, Zainab Salbi. It is one thing to read about how an organization--which has served over 148,000 women in war-torn countries since its inception in 1993--helps women move from victim to survivor to active citizen, and quite another to witness it first hand.

For the next week, in addition to writing the monthly advice column, DivineGuidance, I will be reporting daily from the field in Rwanda and sharing the stories of the women I meet. Their stories are inextricably bound up in the events of 1994, when close to a million people were murdered while the world stood mostly idle, waiting for the conflict to settle. It is my hope that by giving voice to these women and their stories, you share this journey with me. It is one of hope and despair, of natural beauty and inexplicable horror, and of tuning your mind and heart to the Rwandan people as they move into the future by healing their past.

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Comments

[kas70]

Wow. My heart breaks for that woman. I cannot imagine the will to go on that she somehow retained. God bless her and the souls of her children. I know they will be reunited someday.

I am thankful for the reminder this story gives to appreciate all that we have. Thank you.