Unity

Simply being a woman in many parts of the world is a challenge. For me the biggest has been lack of proximity to the source of the problems and people I care about. My husband’s job requires us to travel frequently and the demands of 3 children can mean time and energy are at a premium.

Sometimes I would lose hope. I begin to think that the problems are too vast. What can I do I ask myself? The corruption, poverty, lack of education they all go so very deep. I think I could keep digging for a lifetime and never reach the end of these cesspools. Then little miracles happen via the online community. I read an inspiring story about how a woman, just like me or maybe with more burdens than I will ever know, stands up with intelligence and courage against what she has labeled ‘wrong.’ I avidly scan the how’s of her success and realize that although I might not live to see the change, I can start the rock rolling down the hill and that’s important for all those who will come after.

My solution then comes in the form of developing a network of resources I can carry around with me. One that is available to call on at any time, in any place. PulseWire makes that possible and helps me in my journey. I can tap into the resources offered by so many women all over the world who also care about what I care about. Better, who have implemented grassroots ideas that have caught like wildfire and are restructuring the very same problems that plague my community. By having access to their advice and asking questions I can clarify and formulate plans of my own to meet the challenges I face head on. I can ask people for resources and funding directly. I can send out urgent alerts and calls for action on behalf of what I care about. This platform means I am not alone anymore, that what I say counts and can be strengthened by the voices of others.

Today marks the passing of an amazing woman named Wangari Maaithai, Nobel Laureate and creator of the Greenbelt Movement that saved Kenya. I remember reading she said, ‘ We have come a long way from ignorance to deep insight, from fear to courage and from the streets to Parliament. We moved from self to others, from ‘my issues’ to ‘our issues.’ The online community makes her words come alive for me. Given this kind of support, this treasure trove of information, this wealth of experience I feel hope return. I know that I will make a sustainable difference to the children that have been forgotten in those jails. One child at a time, one day at a time.