Serving Time

It is amazing to me the rights that we take for granted in this country. Women have the right to vote, to dress how they please, to work in whatever field they choose, to attend college, to choose who they date and/or marry, to attend the church of their choice or not attend a church at all, to participate in sports, to have or not have children, to go about their daily lives with little interference from the government. There are still inequities in the workplace, women still are not equal in many churches, crimes against women are still a societal problem, but overall women in America have more freedom than so many women in so many countries. I could not imagine living in a society where women are still considered subserviant to men, where marriages are arranged, sometimes at alarmingly early ages, where women have no right to be educated, where they have no power and no protection in their own homes, where they are considered property as opposed to human beings with the same fundamental rights as men.

After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns and Snowflake and the Secret Fan I was struck by how easy it would be for our rights to slowly slip away if we are not vigilant. With a mostly male Congress laws could easily be enacted that would set women back decades or centuries. Could you imagine living in a country where you are not allowed out of the house without covering from head to toe, without being escorted by a male, where the police consider that what happens in a man's home, even beating and raping his wife/wives and daughters, is his business? Can you imagine being married off against your will at the tender age of fourteen or even younger? Can you imagine watching your daughters grow up in a world where they are not allowed an education, ensuring that they will be trapped in this cycle of subhuman, subserviant obedience? Can you imagine how it would feel for women living in this type of society, waiting, hoping, for someone, anyone, to save them from their own government?

Now that my own children are grown and I have more time to devote to a cause, I am looking for an organization that will allow me to help work for the rights of women around the world. I don't want to be passive about this, I want to make a difference. It has been simmering in me for years. I want to ensure that my granddaughter will be able to grow up and watch her own children live in a free society. So if you have suggestions for organizations that are proven to doing good, honest work to enhance women's lives around the globe I would like your input.