This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and like many of you, I will spend it at home with my family. I’m looking forward to the home-made cards and presents from my kids, and maybe the great gift of sleeping in an extra hour. As I enjoy this time, I’ll also be thinking of the Syrian mothers I just met in a refugee camp in Jordan.

Like mothers everywhere, their first priority is to ensure their children’s safety. That’s why many of them fled their homes in the first place. Now, as their families grow destitute as refugees, many mothers feel that the only way they can provide for their teenaged daughters is to marry them off. “I would rather see her married than hungry,” said Leila of her young daughter. “I just pray that this man will be kind to her.”

A young activist in a local Jordanian women’s organization told me, “This was supposed to be a revolution for freedom in Syria. But for the girls there is no freedom. Instead there are men from the Gulf countries lurking around the refugee camp looking for child brides.”

In my work with women around the world, I see mothers face choices like Leila’s every day.

After an earthquake devastated Haiti, millions of families were displaced from their homes. Mothers put up makeshift tents in huge public encampments with no running water, no security, and no lights at night. When an epidemic of rape swept through the camps, mother were their children’s only line of defense. “I stayed awake through the nights,” Louise  told me. “I had to choose between sleeping or keeping watch over my two daughters. I held a broken bottle for protection and positioned it to dig into my arm if I fell asleep.”

The mothers I met in Kenya were also forced to make decisions no parent should have to face. Severe drought over recent years has decimated herding communities in East Africa. As animals died off and water for even basic survival grew scarce, more and more families resorted to trading daughters for dowries, in some cases to ensure the survival of the rest of the family.

War, natural disaster, environmental crisis. No matter the threat to their children, mothers fight back.

In Jordan, Syrian mothers who are refugees are working with local women’s groups to protect the health and well-being of their daughters and provide safety and shelter for their families.

In Haiti, mothers organized community watch groups in the tent camps and reached out to rape survivors with healthcare and counseling through the women’s rights organization, KOFAVIV. A bill they put before the Haitian parliament would create Haiti’s first age of consent and criminalize marital rape for the first time, protecting their daughters now and throughout their futures.

In Kenya, mothers helped create a network of shelters as a place for their daughters to receive an education and enjoy their childhood, protecting them from female genital mutilation and forced early marriages. They call these shelters the Nanyori Network. In Swahili, Nanyori means “You are loved.”

This Mother’s Day, I’ll be thinking of these women, mothers just like me, facing unimaginable hardships. I’ll be thinking of their strength and their dignity, of their dedication and unfailing love. As the poet Alexis De Veaux has written, “Motherhood is more than the biological act of giving birth. It’s an understanding of the needs of the world.” Fighting to meet those needs, all around the globe, is what mothers do.

(This post originally appeared on RH Reality Check.)

This time of the year last year, I was over-the-moon pregnant with Lucia, a baby girl who brought joy and big smiles to our families, friends, and of course to our partners in different regions who joined us in celebrating the birth of my first daughter!

This time this year, we are celebrating my first Mother’s Day with Lucia. And the fact that Mother’s Day is approaching made me reflect on what this day means personally to me. On one hand, I feel that it is not that important to celebrate a particular day, a commercial day after all. But at the same time, it made me remember the struggle of mothers around the world who deserve recognition and a day to celebrate, to receive love from their sons and daughters, a day that makes them special.

Just this week, my colleague Sahita and I met with mothers from Central America who confronted violence and the disappearance of their daughters and sons during a period of political violence in the 1980s. They have not reached justice or received recognition of their ongoing struggle. I remembered the mother in a remote community in rural Kenya who told me she did not have enough money to send her daughter to school, but still resisted the pressure to marry her off as a child bride to ensure her future. I thought of the mother in Haweeja, a small village in Iraq, who is desperate to get rehabilitation and treatment for her four-year old disabled son, who cannot walk. I was also reminded of the different situations that mothers face every day: mothers in Syria pressured to sell their daughters into early marriage to feed younger children and to save the girls from rape, mothers in Haiti protecting their daughters from sexual violence in the displacement camps, mothers in Colombia whose children were abducted by armed groups and forced to serve as child soldiers. Those are real stories of mothers who confront everyday discrimination, situations of poverty, violence and injustices. Those women deserve better, deserve a day of recognition and so much more.

We at MADRE celebrate the courage of all those mothers who are determined to move forward in the most discouraging circumstances, to change the conditions in their communities, to change cultural practices, to open up opportunities for their daughters. I hope I can contribute to making a better world a reality for all mothers and teach the importance of this work to my Lucia… I hope Lucia can be as determined as all these women to fight for a better future for all mothers, all daughters, all families around the world.

This year and every year, when you celebrate Mother’s Day, celebrate for your mother and mothers in your life, and all the mothers that are trying to make a difference in the world!!

I recently attended an event at the 57^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, on “Women, Peace, and Security: Elusive Opportunity for Afro-Colombian Women in Conflict Zones.” It focused on violence against women and security in times of so-called peace and in times of war. The panel featured four women from four different organizations: Black Communities Process: PCN, Global Rights, The Center for Women’s Global Leadership, and AFAB (Association of Haitian of Women in Boston).

Carline Desire, the executive direction of AFAB, is dedicated to promoting Haitian women’s rights. She reminded us how instrumental the role of women was in the revolution that led to the independence of Haiti in 1804 yet how brutally they were and are treated. A strong wave of women’s rights protests emerged in the 1990s with thousands of women marching through the streets of Port-au-Prince demanding more political representation, only to be violently rebuffed. Rape has been used as a tool of political suppression and a virtual epidemic has emerged since the earthquake in 2010. Economic insecurity has also led to sexual exploitation, as women are forced to exchange sex for food.

Carline added, it is essential to raise awareness and work on providing education for girls, vocational trainings for women and gender education for young boys and girls in the school system.

This was a point of convergence between Carline and another woman on the panel: Charo Mina Roja, the director of PCN. She emphasized the disconnect that exists between different parts of Colombia. Colombia has the fourth largest economy in the Latin American region, yet there are rural areas that are disproportionately poor compared to very rich regions of the country. Colombia has signed all the international agreements on women and children’s rights yet minorities like Afro-Colombians (which she is a part of) are constantly marginalized, Afro-Colombian women are significantly unequal to non-Afro-Colombian women, and Colombian women in general are constantly assaulted. As Charo put it, “women cannot be women” because of the violence imposed by the paramilitaries who constantly use them as targets to prevent any political action.

A woman in the audience posed a thought-provoking and inevitable question: what can we do to change these circumstances? The program director at the CWGL emphasized a principle that MADRE holds dear: she reaffirmed how important it is to partner with local groups and grassroots organizations to help women meet the needs on the ground that they themselves identify. Charo Mina Roja added that raising awareness is essential and international solidarity is very important. Carline ended by reminding us that NGOs cannot intervene in other countries by imposing their own frameworks: women need to be empowered, need to speak for themselves and should not let others speak on their behalf. We need, in other words, to make big international organization shift their paradigm and focus on giving women the help they say they need, not the help outsiders think they need.

The women at this panel were all incredibly inspiring in their commitment to promoting peace and security within their communities. Not only are they dedicated to women’s human rights but they are also proactively fight to give women a voice. As Carline put it, “We do not need charity but solidarity”. At MADRE, we fight every day with our partners around the globe to promote such solidarity.

In a refugee camp in Afghanistan, a six-year-old girl named Naghma has had her future traded away.

As the New York Times reported yesterday, her father wasn’t able to pay back a $2,500 loan. Now, as payment, he feels forced to give Naghma up to be a child bride to the lender’s son.

Child marriage and selling girls are against the law in Afghanistan. Yet, that’s not enough to protect Naghma.

This is such a stark reminder of a core lesson of our work. It’s not enough to have laws on paper to protect women’s rights. We need action to make sure the laws are implemented.

I’ve seen the power of that lesson firsthand in Haiti, where MADRE partners are organizing to pressure their government to take a stand against violence and discrimination.

This month, I’ll be traveling to a refugee camp where Syrian women and families are also struggling to survive. Some have made the same desperate decision as Naghma’s parents — to trade their young daughters away in marriage. I’ll be meeting with local activists who are speaking out against child marriages and organizing to create alternatives. I look forward to reporting back to you about what I hear from our partners there.

Update: An anonymous donor has reportedly paid the family’s debt, allowing Naghma to stay with her family. Across Afghanistan, countless other girls will not be so lucky.

Recently, MADRE and IGLHRC co-hosted an event as part of a two-week convening of activists for women’s rights from all over the world.

The event, “A Dialogue Between Movements: Women’s Rights and LGBT Activists Share Anti-Violence Strategies,” brought activists from the women’s rights movement and the LGBTQ movement together. We sought to break down barriers between our work and to share strategies for working against the gender oppression that affects us all.

MADRE Executive Director, Yifat Susskind, explains why these two movements have sometimes been separated in the past, and why MADRE and our partner organizations are committed to bringing them together moving forward:

The intersectionality of oppressions is central to MADRE, founded by activists working at the intersections of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, class, and ethnicity.

Panelists represented a diverse range of geographic and activist backgrounds: Rose Cunningham, founder and director of Wangki Tangni in Nicaragua, which works for the rights and resources of Indigenous women; Azusa Yamashit, co-director and editor of Gay Japan News, mediator of a national women’s network of tsunami survivors, and LGBTQ researcher and activist; Thilaga Sulathireh, LGBTQ community organizer and co-founder of Justice for Sisters, which provides legal support for trans* women in Malaysia; and Charlot Jeudy, president of KOURAJ, a Haitian grassroots organization that works to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Panel moderator and MADRE board member Blaine Bookey asked panelists to share successes, challenges, and lessons learned in their work against violence towards their communities. She also asked them to discuss the overlap between movements and what we can learn from one another.

Panelists discussed violence and discrimination they experienced, and—regardless of the population or the geographic location—the experiences were strikingly similar. They shared stories of violence based on a person’s perceived gender identity or sexual expression.

Some ongoing challenges were also common between movements: Mr. Jeudy and Ms. Sulathireh shared that travel and distance were key deterrents keeping activists from reaching their communities. Ms. Cunningham and Ms. Yamashirta both shared that a lesson learned from their work was the importance of building trust in relationships with allies.

Finally, panelists discussed the importance of recognizing overlap between their communities as a bridge to working together more closely. Ms. Sulathireh pointed out that many people are active and already working together, in more than one community, citing the labor movement in addition to rights for women and LGBTQ communities. Ms. Cunningham affirmed the need to include one another, stating that ignoring a community is another way of perpetuating violence against it.

Several activists from around the world were listening in the audience and affirmed Ms. Cunningham’s key take away from the panel “when we come to this space, we feel like we are with you and you are with us.” Our movements are linked by common experiences and common goals. Coming together in spaces like MADRE’s event reminds us all about the community we share.

Today, MADRE joins all those rising up against violence, as part of V-Day’s 1 Billion Rising campaign.

Every day, our sisters around the world rise. The women of our partner organizations have always used song and dance to denounce violence and to tap into their collective strength and joy. In Nicaragua, Kenya, Haiti, Colombia and more, they embrace creativity to imagine a world without abuse.

Since the beginning of this year, Helping Hands has already received over 100 packages from around the world containing contacts, toiletries, school supplies, and medicine. Each donation we receive helps communities meet their immediate needs, aiding in their ability to carry on their extraordinary work to advance woman’s human rights.

We work closely with our sister organizations to provide those items they need the most. Most of the donations we receive from our MADRE supporters are personally unsolicited. This means that people have come across the work that we and our sister organizations do and send in items that are urgently needed.

As a humanitarian aid intern, hundreds of packages come across my desk each month. The generosity I see, not just from the donation itself, but the kind words in the accompanying letters, are inspiring. In the midst of several dozen donations received over the holiday season, two arrived that exemplify the core of our work.

One package contained 72 whistles and lanyards and the other 100 whistles and wind-up flashlights, tools that provide safety and security to women in communities vulnerable to sexual violence. These items were sent in response to the broadcast of CNN Heroes that introduced

Whistles and flashlights for our sisters in Haiti made possible by generous donations!

hundreds of thousands of viewers to the work of KOFAVIV and Malya Villard-Appolon. Not only did these donors learn of the situation in Haitian displacement camps, but they sought out ways after the program to find out how to assist. To see so many people moved to action after viewing the telecast is a testament to the power of Mayla’s story and the courage of those in KOFAVIV.

There are many ways to support the work of KOFAVIV and the other programs of Helping Hands. Not only can you donate material or financial aid, but Helping Hands also calls upon volunteers when packing our larger shipments. That is how I began at MADRE, and it is work I continue during my time here. The other day I packed a bag full of flashlights and whistles to send to our partners at KOFAVIV thanks to our wonderful MADRE supporters. Every donation is not just an act of generosity but a sign of solidarity.

If you would like to donate to any one of Helping Hands programs, please visit our site with our list of requested items.

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed more than 300,000 people and left more than a million more homeless. Our partners at KOFAVIV have released a statement; we share it with you below.

A day like no other, an unforgettable day, a day of mourning, a day of pain, misery and torment. It is a day that we will never be able to forget, where we had to count the bodies of the thousands of our brothers and sisters who died in the January 12, 2010 earthquake. A day where hope had disappeared, a day where Mother Nature was in a fury against humankind.

January 12, 2013 marks 3 years since complete darkness fell on Haiti. We do not have the right to forget  the women who were fighting against violence endured by women in Haiti, especially the members of KOFAVIV who fell that day.  We salute the memory of these brave women, and we also want to take this opportunity to salute all of our friends and partners  who came to our aid :

MADRE, CNN, BAI/ IJDH, Massimo, Henry Mars, Digital Democracy, UNHCR, Heartland Alliance/We-Lead, Limye Lavi, IRC, Haiti Solidarite, Lambi Fund, Seksyon dwa Lom, Network, Beverly Bell and all of our other partners from the United Kingdom. We would like to thank all of our partners and we want to tell them that we would like to keep collaborating because the battle is not yet over.

KOFAVIV will keep fighting to forward the idea of a better tomorrow, to help victims get justice, and for impunity to end.

<< Men nan men san silans ak anpil tolerans nap kwape vyolans>>

Hand in hand, with a lot of tolerance, we’ll break the silence and put an end to violence

It is likely that you’ve heard about the recent horrific gang-rape in Delhi that resulted in the death of the 23-year-old victim.

MADRE and our sister organizations have worked for decades to confront the global epidemic of sexual violence. We struggle to prevent violence, and we stand with survivors demanding justice.

But this young woman did not survive the attack by six men that was so brutal it destroyed her internal organs. She died in the hospital; the six men involved have been charged with murder. She lived long enough, however, to do something highly unusual: she told the police what happened to her. “In retrospect it wasn’t the brutality of the attack on the young woman that made her tragedy unusual; it was that an attack had, at last, elicited a response,” wrote Sonia Faleiro in The New York Times. The attack did indeed elicit a response.

A silent wave of protesters, carrying signs, walked through Delhi, including Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Thousands of women joined the march. The visual impact is overwhelming, astonishing. Their silence is a scream.

But women in India are raising their voices, too, being heard across continents, making demands and refusing to be ignored.

A woman who had lived in Delhi wrote a fiercely enraged piece on her experiences there:

I saw pictures of these young girls standing their ground getting beaten up, screaming in the cops’ faces. Learned pundits question why. What is the point of this protest anyway? What do they want? It’s a pity they can’t even see this basic point. They want to be treated as humans again. I read about the rape in Delhi and the anger in me has refused to go away. Memories of those years of harassment came flooding back. If you’re a woman in Delhi, you’ve been groped and violated five times a day since you were eight.

Faleiro wrote:

The steady thrum of whistles, catcalls, hisses, sexual innuendos and open threats continued. Packs of men dawdled on the street, and singing Hindi film songs, rich with double entendres, was how they communicated. To make their demands clear, they would thrust their pelvises at female passers-by.

If only it was just public spaces that were unsafe. In my office at a prominent newsmagazine, at the doctor’s office, even at a house party — I couldn’t escape the intimidation.

And two young women, like thousands of others, made their thoughts known today:

Galvanized by one young woman’s courage in speaking out, women in India are raising their voices in unison.

2013 is the year that women across the world can stand shoulder to shoulder, all of our movements together as one. Young women recovering from their exploitation as former child soldiers in Colombia; women and children in Haiti who survived sexual violence in the displacement camps in Haiti; women in Delhi and across India, demanding accountability for the rape culture that is killing their daughters, mothers, and sisters; women in the United States fighting to protect and expand access to reproductive health care; women in Nicaragua fighting for land rights for Indigenous Peoples.

The women in Delhi are not just speaking out - they are being heard. In 2013, let us raise our voices and support their demands; let us support one another’s needs and revolutions around the globe, trusting and investing in one another’s truths and futures, until the day we can all tell a different story of how we won the same fight.

The New York Times recently published an article on Haiti’s Silenced Victims. Our friend and partner Malya Villard-Appolon of KOFAVIV wrote to them in response. We have published her letter here.

When a woman here in Haiti is raped, it is very difficult for her to find justice. I am a rape survivor; my friend Eramithe is a rape survivor; many of our friends and family members are rape survivors. But we have found resilience and strength, and learned to fight back. Eramithe and I co-founded KOFAVIV, an organization by and for survivors of sexual violence. In partnership with MADRE, an international women’s human rights group, we help provide medical care and counseling, and work to improve Haiti’s criminal justice system. And we are seeing progress. A new bill that we have worked on would create real changes in the way sexual assault cases are handled, providing relief for women like the one who inspired this article. We need support from the international community to make sure our government does the right thing and passes this bill into law.

Malya Villard-Appolon, KOFAVIV, 2012 CNN Hero