Crafting a Better World One Woman at a Time

Last night we hosted a "dinner and a movie" night at the home of Audrey Steele.

 We shared an African meal and showed the documentary "A Walk to Beautiful". Here's a picture of all the women who attended--Eirene Ng'anga Hackett's husband Keith, the only guy at our "hen session", took the photo. Thanks in large part to Eirene and Keith, we had enough African food to feed a small village! Everything was so delicious, and it gave us all a little taste of Africa.

 

After dinner we all watched the film, which highlights the good work of the Fistula Hospital of Addis Ababa, which offers free fistula repair surgery to Ethiopia's poorest women who are suffering from obstetric fistulas. Then we "passed the hat" to raise funds for one fistula operation for one Ethiopian woman--$450, to be exact. Now I was getting ready to pull out my checkbook at the end of it all and pay off whatever remained to be donated so that we would have the $450 needed for an operation, but can you believe that these generous women--and let's not forget Keith!--donated $588!? 

Many of us spent a good two hours after the film ended, talking about our favorite projects and the ways we hope to put good into the world. Audrey and Carmen travel overseas on medical missions with "Faith in Action". Holly and Debra M. raise food and funds through their crafting efforts. Cathy N. has supported five female victims of war struggling to rebuild their lives through "Women for Women International", and Eirene and Keith talk about the possibility of opening an orphanage in Eirene's home county, Kenya. I left the gathering, truly inspired that, in continuing to come together as women supporting women,  we are nurturing an ever widening circle of care, concern and giving.

If you want to see a great film that will deeply inspire you, order "A Walk to Beautiful", which was presented by Nova and can be found for purchase at PBS's web site. If you want to support a great cause and give a desperately poor woman a real opportunity for a new life, consider donating to the Fistula Foundation at their website: www.fistulafoundation.org .