How to use this Page

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Sometimes, on this blog, I talk about different charities and how you can donate to them to help women and girls around the world. But I understand, believe me, that many people don’t have extra money to give right now. I also understand how it seems like there is so much need, how can you pick and choose whom to give to?

Money isn’t the only way that you can help these women and girls around the world. There are plenty of celebrities and CEOs who can donate thousands of dollars. But what can you do?

• Tell people what you learn in books, on news shows, on this blog, and in magazines. Education is one of the keys to stopping things like human trafficking, maternal mortality, and genocide. It is often easy for people to turn a blind eye if they think it is not directly affecting them. So, don’t be afraid to talk about these issues to family members and friends.
• You can pray or meditate or whatever your beliefs lead you to do. I’m Catholic, and I believe that there’s strength in prayer. Prayer costs nothing and doesn’t even take much time. I can pray for the victims of human trafficking. I can pray for the children living in poverty. I can pray for people to be treated equally.
• Recommend books like Half the Sky, Left to Tell, or Beatrice’s Goat to friends and family. See if they are in your local library. If not, ask the librarian if there is any wish lists or ways to purchase these important books.
• If you belong to a group at your church or in your community and you are looking for a fundraiser idea, consider one of the charities listed on this blog such as Loose Change for Loose Chains or the Left to Tell Charitable Fund.
• If your neighborhood or community has an area wide garage sale, see if a portion (even 10%) of the sales can go to a charity or put up a donation can at your check-out table with some information about something like the Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia and see if you anyone donates. Send in those donations.
• Tweet about information and charities you hear about. Share information on your Facebook page.

You, yourself, don’t have to give a lot of money to these organizations. If you want to help, try one of the suggestions above. If you have any more, please let us know in the comments section below!

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Yesterday, I wrote about one of my favorite books of all time, Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza (pictured here.) If you haven’t read about her amazing story of survival during the Rwandan genocides, check out yesterday’s post or the book Left to Tell.

Today, I wanted to let you know about her charity: The Left To Tell Charitable Fund, which is controlled by her publisher, Hay House, Inc. The mission of the charitable fund is to help Rwandan orphans with educational needs, providing scholarships for school-age children. Education is important to Immaculee, and both of her parents, killed during the genocide, were educators. Scholarships buy things such as materials, clothes, and food, and they can also pay for school fees. A scholarship for a college student in Rwanda is $1000; for an elementary student, it costs $500. On the website, it gives an example of a $5000 donation being able to help 10 elementary students go to school in Rwanda.

As we know, and as the authors discuss in my other favorite book–Half the Sky–education is the best way to fight the problems going on in the world. When students are educated, they are less likely to get married and pregnant young, continue old traditions for no reason, or join violent gangs. Education is the long-term solution. The Left to Tell Charitable Fund is mostly funded through a percentage of sales for Immaculee’s book–Left to Tell. So, when you purchase a copy of this book for yourself or as a gift, you are helping the children in Rwanda. Other sources come from the sale of the Left to Tell bracelets (which young people would love to wear!), private donations, and Immaculee’s speaking engagements. I love charities where you can buy gifts for the loved ones in your lives, and proceeds go to help someone else. They are the truly the gifts that keep on giving.

If you are interested in learning more about this charity, please visit this link.

The theme of my blog is, of course, read these books and use them. And in this case, you can purchase a copy and really do good in the world–so can teens. Tomorrow, I plan to write about how we can help people in the world even when we don’t have any extra money to donate. It’s a tough economy, but money isn’t the only way to help.

A book about the Rwandan genocide for children ages 9 to 12:

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This is one of the most amazing books that I have ever read: Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza. If you aren’t familiar with Immaculee or her story, I’ll give you a brief rundown here:

During the 1994 Rwandan genocide when the death of Rwanda’s Hutu president sparked a three-month slaughter of nearly one million ethnic Tutsis, Immaculee spent 91 days with 7 other women in a small bathroom at a local Hutu pastor’s house to escape being brutally raped and killed. According to her website, she weighed 115 pounds at the beginning of the 91 days (she was a university student), and she emerged from the bathroom weighing just 65 pounds. She credits her survival to prayer and the set of rosary beads that her devout Catholic father had given her. When she finally escaped her hide-out, she found that most of her family had been brutally murdered.

This book is amazing for several reasons–to hear the story of someone who survived against all odds in unimaginable conditions makes you feel like you can do anything. You also learn first-hand what happened in Rwanda, which can help you understand how violence like this occurs, so we can work together to stop it. And you will see an example of someone who is able to forgive murderers and turn her life around with strength, courage, and faith.

Older teens and (of course) adults should read Left to Tell and learn about Immaculee and her amazing story as well as share it with others. Education is one of the first steps toward stopping this kind of violence against women (and men too, in this case) around the world. Although this happened in 1994, people are beaten and killed every day for their race, religion, and sex. Tomorrow, I’ll let you know how Immaculee is helping Rwanda and how you can, too.

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I have another great book club book to share with you. It has a bit of violence. It is about living through a massacre, after all, but it's inspiring. It's a true, life-changing book like The Hiding Place.

Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
Book Review by me, Emily

The subtitle of this book says it all...Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. While the unthinkable is happening all around her, Immaculee Ilibagiza finds peace in God's love.

Immaculee grew up in a Rwandan paradise. It wasn't until she was ten, that she even learned the words Hutu and Tutsi. When her teacher began taking ethnic roll call, she didn't know which tribe she belonged to. However, prejudices deepened into hatred, and when Immaculee was 24, a massive genocide took place. It is estimated that a million Tutsis were killed in three months.

Immaculee hid in a bathroom with six other women. The space was so small, that they had to take turns standing. When someone needed to use the toilet, everyone had to shift to accomodate her. The ladies nearly starved to death. Worse still, they could her the killers outside looking for them, chanting horrible death songs.

Immaculee spent nearly all her time praying in that bathroom. The women couldn't talk to one another because they might be heard, so Immaculee talked to God, who spared their lives because of her prayers.

Each time it seemed that Immaculee's life would end or that there was no way to go on, she prayed "show me" how to do this, and God would literally show her what to do.

I was touched by this story. I think it will make a wonderful book to discuss in my book club.

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