Calling for W.A.R.

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. I rarely get riled up about anything. But when it hear of disrespect and mistreatment it causes such grief at the unfairness of ot all that I wish somehow I could make a difference, hence my call for Women Against Rape.

This past summer I had the opportunity to live abroad in India, I have never in my life felt so blessed as I did after living there. Even in our "nice" apartment in India electricity was spotty, if you wanted cold(or even normal temperature)water, you had better get it at the begging of the day, otherwise the water was quite hot. The bedrooms became our new common area as our real common area had only 2 fans to disrupt the heat, and the bedrooms were blessed with AC that worked more times then not. The biggest blessing was in the form of washrooms. We had mostly functioning toilets behind doors we could lock at our convenience for some privacy.

In the slums there was no facilities for a toilet, let alone a bathroom. Before this experience I would have assumed no facilities would be the same experience as like camping in the woods in a tent. To answer natures call you would just have to go a bit away from camp, find a convienent spot and be done. The worst that may happen is some discomfort due to the lack of modernized surroundings.  

India is different, in the slums there is rarely a toilet. The "designated" place is at the edge of the community. But what if your community bumps meets up with another community as your city grows? 

What if you are an elderly person, and you have to walk out there over uneven ground with no defenses. What if you are a young girl who goes to take care of business at dusk (or midday) and a man finds you and takes pleasure where it was not his to take? With no one close by to help, she stumbles home with emotional, physical and mental scaring, knowing that that man will go on his way and she will never see him brought to a trial let alone justice. Her self-worth goes down, she may combat many various feelings and eventually feel she is of little for anything else. 

The statistics of rape in Andrah pradesh alone are staggering, in this single state of India 4 girls are raped everyday. That is not a statistic for the whole country, but just one state. My heart literally breaks at the thought of that. As one person I don't mean much, especially not enough to change the justice system or the social acceptabilities of India. 

I read of inspiring stories of how one person has made a difference, I'm not setting out to inspire but to take action. I can't send security in to protect these girls, but I can donate funds to see that soilets are built to provide a safer place for those girls and the elderly. 

The concept of soilets is a brilliant idea, similar to an outhouse with a small building built around a hole in the ground with a structure to sit on. The big difference is that unlike outhouses you don't need to keep relocating and digging holes. The introduction of worms to breakdown and decompose everything allows for a permanence of the structure. You can even go so far as to say it allows for improved business opportunities, once everything is decomposed it makes excellent fertilizer either to be sold or used on ones own garden.

The idea is catching and with the help of our partners in India, Sapid-heal, we have seen improvement in the areas where soilets have been built.

There is so much I have taken for granted, I often stop mad wonder why I was one of the extra blessed ones to be born in America in an area where I am afforded all opportunities and don't have to live in a state of uncertainty.
I have had the opportunity to experience so much of life, the good and the bad. I truly believe in living the width of life as well as the length. All these adventures and opportunities mean nothing to me unless I am able to some how able share what I have learned, and improve life where I can.
I don't take much joy from traveling unless I am able to share it in a way to create a positive change and an understanding of cultures.
I don't believe this blessing is due to luck of the draw, or a coincidence either. What if I was given much because I can do much. I think we all have a potential we can reach if we strive for it. We all have gifts and talents and knowledge unique to us; by sharing we make the world a better place, and in return we are given more, call it karma or God but it is true. 

I want to leave earth better then when I came into it, this is my life motto.


What am I doing about it?? Here take a second to consider a donation.
gofundme.com/qab26a