"Women hold up half the sky." -Mao

I love that quote.    I love how amazing women are and all that they do in this world.  I think President Uchtdorf says it well here.

The facts mention in this
post can be found in
the book.

 I just finished reading a compelling book named after the quote above. I felt that I needed to do a post on this book and topic because this cause penetrates me to the core. While I do not view myself a feminist, I feel that all human beings deserved to be treated with love, respect and dignity.

Here's some facts:

-In Niger, 1 in 7 women die in their lifetime from childbirth.
-The equivalent of 5 jumbo jets of women die each day in childbirth, with 99% of those women being from poor countries.
-There are 2-3 million prostitutes in India (a majority of which were introduced by being trafficked). There is an estimated 10 million in China.
-There are numerous economic advantages for educating and empowering women. "Investment in girls' education may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world." -Laurence Summers, chief economist of the World Bank
-In recent studies, women who are given charge over finances are shown to use the money more towards health care, food, education and other necessities in a household. "Women are the key to ending hunger in Africa."-Hunger Project
"Progress is achieved through women."- Bernard Kouchner, French foreign minister and founder of Doctors Without Borders



There is no doubt that the Pulitzer prize authors are liberal and put in a lot of opinion (in which I do not fully agree with) but this book has so much that we need to be aware of and fight against. It gives individualized stories across the world of women and their experiences with rape, prostitution, trafficking, abuse, fistulas, maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, honor killings, FGM/C, modern slavery, education and social entrepreneurship. While it was graphic and occasionally difficult to stomach, it focused mostly on the hope that can come and what is being done to turn the oppression into opportunity for these women. For example, the book mentions that some of the countries that have the highest amount of terrorist groups, are the countries where women are expected to take a passive roll.

Some security experts noted that the countries that nurture terrorists are disproportionally those where women are marginalized. The reason why there are so many Muslim terrorists, they argued, has little to do with the Koran but a great deal to do with the lack of robust female participation in Islamic countries. As the pentagon gained a deeper understanding of counterterrorism, it became increasingly interred in the grassroots projects such as girls' educations. Empowering girls, some in the military argued, would disempower terrorists. Some extremely effective counterterrorism approaches have been in the reversal of this roll by educating women and allowing them to find a voice. As this has been done, the number of these crimes has dropped substantially. (xxi)

So much can be done! There are currently programs in place and are proving the success.

And then we have the AIDS issue. After reading this book and coming to understand how rape in African countries is largely accepted, expected and routinized (a young 16 year-old soldier in the Congo said, "If we see girls, it's our right.") it makes complete sense why there is such an outbreak of HIV and AIDS in countries where rape is so prevalent. There are so many organizations based on helping the people that have HIV/AIDS, but why not target the problem and focus on prevention? After reading of the programs that are already in place, I feel strongly that as women are given opportunities and education, the numbers will go down. As men see that these women are not objects to be abused but actually are an integral part in their community, I feel a lot of this would stop. I understand that this doesn't solve the problem, but it creates more opportunity to help fight the problem.

If you are interested in helping with any of these causes, visit halftheskymovement.org, where they give many resources and ways that you can help.  Many of which are affordable and will make the difference in the life of a woman.  You can also go to charitynavigator.org to find charities and causes that are close to your heart, and it gives an effective evaluation on their cost efficiency so you can get the most bang for your buck.

Jesus Christ was our ultimate example of being a Good Samaritan. We are surrounded by so many people- in our neighborhoods, cities, and even across the world in a little African village- that can benefit if we follow His example.  I know that it is impossible to end every injustice in the world, but when taking part to make the difference in the life of someone, we can either be part of it or be a bystander.  I don't know if you remember, but a while ago, I mentioned that I had a business idea that I was really excited about.  It deals with some of these issues, and soon it will allow you to be more than just a bystander. More info to come.