Wander & enjoy the diversity...it feeds your soul “What is more miraculous than the moment?” Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh

3/8 International Women’s Day 2011 – let’s celebrate awesome girls (like those in this video from Room to Read's program in Nepal) & women all over the world!  Embrace those in your life! 

March 8th is not only International Women's Day, but also the day my first daughter was born!  I celebrate her birthday here in Oregon, while she is thousands of miles away working with young women in Vietnam.  Obviously I am proud of her and her work, as I am of my other daughter who taught English in Korea for 4 years.  I also celebrate all the women I have known who have had the courage to try the unknown, to seek a better life for themselves and their family, and who have advocated for others!

I remember the courage it took for Rosa, Tanja, & Åsa to come from their own cultures & countries to live with us and learn in the US; the courage and hard work it took for young women - Ambika, Kausalya, Ilakkiya in southern India who were the first to attend college in their families.  They, along with so many others continue to volunteer at the SEED center afterschool program to help the younger students.  There is Suzane in The Democratic Republic of Congo with 8 children and Hellena in Sudan with 4 children that are working with Women for Women International learning how to advocate for themselves and each other. 

Of course, there are wonderful women friends here in the US and far away who are supportive and have shared their lives.  I have treasured their visits, phone calls, & e-mails as well as those from friends in Argentina, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Nepal, India, Hong Kong, England, Tasmania, Canada, Thailand,Japan,& Belgium.  Best wishes to all those who have already captivated our hearts and to those countless motivated women who eagerly work hard to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Here is Kirsten’s first blog while she is working her way through India, Nepal, Vietnam & Cambodia.  Through interviewing high school graduates in the Room to Read program, she is providing a venue for talking about their goals & dreams.  She and the program’s assistants are helping to give them a voice, sharing their stories with the world. 

ROOM to READ: 

http://blog.roomtoread.org/room-to-read/2011/02/making-the-transition-graduates-surveyed-about-life-after-room-to-read.html