Introducing... Sifa!

Back in January, I joined up with Women for Women International, after reading about it in Half the Sky, an awesome book by NY Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof. Women for Women was started by Zainab Salbi (Her story can be read in another fascinating book, Between Two Worlds) to be like a child sponsorship program but in which you sponsor an adult woman, a survivor of a war-torn nation.

Women for Women takes a while to match you with your "sister"; I kept checking the website day after day to see "You are currently sponsoring 0 women." Finally, a few nights ago, the "0" had become "1"!

My "sister" is named Sifa. She is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also known as the Rape Capital of the World. Charming, huh? She has three children, and she is 29--that is all I know about her at this point. I'll be so anxious to hear from her!

For my sponsorship fee of $27/month, Sifa will get 1 year of training and education, and hopefully will be ready to start a small business or at least be employed; she'll also get a portion of the money through the year to use as she sees fit. See this video about Women for Women's work in the Congo:

And then go to Women for Women and sign up to make a difference in a woman's life! I will post more about Sifa as I learn more about her, but isn't she beautiful and precious?