This week’s Wednesday's Woman was written and submitted by Anna Mahler, of The Mommy Padawan. I am certain you get the “Mommy” part. But are you familiar with the term “Padawan”?
A "padawan" is a term for “student” taken from the film Star
Wars. I think the title of Anna’s blog
is fitting. She is a careful observer of
life and looks to her experiences for opportunities to grow as a woman, wife,
and mother. She sees her three year old
son as her greatest teacher.
Students learn most through their experiences teaching others. Anna is no
exception. She shares the wisdom she has
gained as a wife and mother in her ebook You are Loved - Caring for Our Children, Families, and Ourselves with Loving Kindness.
Her philosophy of self-care allows her to create
a harmonious home. Self-care also allows
her to recognize the importance of sharing her uplifting attitudes with the
readers of her blog. I encourage you to spend
time at The Mommy Padawan where you will find a voice of authenticity, grace,
warmth and courage.
Today, Anna tells the story of Lisa Shannon, founder of A
Thousand Sister’s. Anna states, “Lisa
Shannon is an amazing example of what can happen when one person decides to
take action.”
I am grateful Anna decided to “take action” and be the first
to guest post for Wednesday's Woman.
Wednesday's Woman, Lisa Shannon
by Anna Mahler
When first learning about horrible suffering going on in different places in the world, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. It can seem as though, when something is happening so far away, so many are suffering and I am only one person, what good can I really do?
Lisa Shannon is an amazing example of what can happen when
one person decides to take action.
At home in Portland in 2005, Lisa first learned about the
epidemic of rape and suffering in Congo while watching an episode of
Oprah. That day, Lisa went online to
Women For Women International and sponsored two sisters. Wanting to do more,
she single handedly started the Run For Congo Women to raise funds for
additional sponsorships. But she also
did this to send a message; that these women did matter. They were not
forgotten or worthless (as the militia there would want them to believe). The
first year, she ran alone but raised almost twenty eight thousand dollars.
Today, there are runs and walks for Congolese women taking place all over the
United States, bringing sponsorship, aid and hope to women survivors.
The DR of Congo has been termed the worst place on earth to
be a woman. Organized rape, torture and
murder is an everyday reality. Many women have also lost children due to
sickness or poor living conditions while hiding from the militia's attacks in
the jungle. As a women, I am beyond saddened and outraged by this. As a mother,
I am horrified and shaken to the core.
It's hard to read the stories Lisa Shannon brings back from
her visits to the Congo and it's impossible for me to read her website without
feeling the darkness of the lives of the surviving women and children. But we
need to know their stories, because these women do matter.
In 2007, Lisa traveled to Eastern Congo and returned again
in May 2008 and February 2010. Her book,
A Thousand Sisters, is the story of her
journey as well as those of her Congo sisters, many she was able to meet in
person. At times, feeling her efforts were like “tossing teaspoons on water on
a raging fire”, Lisa has never given up helping the Congolese women and their
families, raising awareness and even
bringing the cause to the doorstep of the American Government.
Lisa Shannon: A Thousand Sisters:My Journey into the Worst Place on Earth to be a Woman from Expanded Books on Vimeo.
Named the 2006 Hero of Running by “Runner’s World” magazine,
Lisa Shannon is currently an ambassador for Women for Women International and
was recently named one of the twenty most powerful women in the world by O
Magazine.
This was accomplished by one woman who became aware of a
horrible situation and decided to act.
Living proof that one person can make a difference.
You can learn more about Lisa and her visit to the Congo by watching the video at A Thousand Sisters.
Do you want to run for Congo women? Go to Run for Congo Women.
Learn about sponsoring and changing a woman's life at Women for Women.
*How sponsoring
through Women for Women International works: A portion of the monthly
sponsorship amount is given directly to a woman for basic needs but the women
are also provided classes on woman's rights, literacy, nutrition, family
planning and vocational training. Finally, a portion of the money donated is
put in to a savings account the women can use to invest in a business once they
graduate from the training courses. An equally important part of the
sponsorship also involves receiving and sending letters to your sponsored
sister in the Congo and this has also helped to give hope and let a woman who
is truly suffering know, she is not forgotten, she is not alone.
Wednesday's Woman
is a weekly feature dedicated to spotlighting women who are role models for our daughters. . . and the world.
Do you know a Wednesday's Woman? Contact me for a guest post.
**Read past Wednesday's Woman features!**
