The year has started off strong! In just a few short weeks, you’ve already made so much possible. Thanks to you, women in Iraq have refuge from violence, girls in Colombia are healing from war, and so much more. Thank you!
We've put together some photos highlighting the difference you're making this year through MADRE. Every image is a reflection of your tremendous impact in women’s lives worldwide.
___________________________________________________________________
Your support brings counseling and healing to women and girl survivors of wartime violence in Colombia. With Taller de Vida, we offer support groups, art therapy and more. “Before, I was a girl who didn’t know who I was,” one young girl told us when we visited in February. “No one valued me. But I learned many things with Taller de Vida. I learned to value myself. Now I know who I am.”
Here I am with our partners from the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq. I met with them in Istanbul when we brought dozens of Iraqi and Syrian activists together for a training in January. They shared how they offer care, aid and shelter to survivors of extremist violence. Your support enabled these women to meet and inspire each other.
In Iraq, you back an organic Women’s Peace Farm that shelters women farmers displaced by the armed violence that has surged since last summer. Thanks to your support, 54 people, mainly women and children, are receiving care and shelter at the farm. What’s more, the farm is thriving! The women have grown eggplants, peppers, okra and cucumbers to feed their families.
Your support also united women from Guatemala and Colombia who have experienced decades of war. We offered them training on how to use international law to build peace and justice. “Our eyes aren’t closed anymore,” an Indigenous woman from Guatemala said. “They’re open and we’re moving forward. We’re not afraid, we’re standing up.”
Two years ago, Catarina received 3 chickens thanks to MADRE supporters just like you. When we visited Catarina in February, she told us that she has since doubled her number of chickens! With enough eggs to feed her family, her 4 children maintain a healthy diet. And that’s not all! Catarina sells her eggs, generating extra income to send her daughter, Ana (pictured here), to school.
