Welcome to Sister Villages!!
We are a group of people who are concerned about the skyrocketing rates of violence against women in our world. We have all worked in different ways with women who have experienced rape, wartime violence, domestic violence, and other forms of abuse, and we have reached a point where we need to take action.
It is not enough to become outraged or to cry out, "NEVER AGAIN!"
We must act NOW to protect women from rape and violence, to prevent rapes from happening in the first place, and to help women heal after experiencing trauma.
We plan to work with local women's groups around the world to establish "Sister Villages" which would provide an infrastructure for connection, co-learning/co-teaching, hope and healing for women in areas profoundly impacted by violence and rape.
Please check back as we will be adding new content soon!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Umoja, Kenya: Women's Unity Village
Survivors of rape and marital distress in Kenya have organized together as women to protect one another and provide a safe place where they can live their lives in productivity and peace. The women started their own village, where men may visit as friends, boyfriends, or hired help, but the women and their children are the residents and decision-makers for their community. The Umoja women have supported each other to develop their skills and create sustainable businesses that allow them to send their children to school and lift themselves out of abject poverty.
"We are always under men," said Rebecca Lolosoli, who is the leader of the three dozen or so women who live in Umoja, which means Unity in Swahili. "The men treat us like nothing. You are there to give them children. We're like property, and we're mistreated."The opportunities for the women and children are drastically different that what is available to the typical Kenyan woman, and Sister Villages is very inspired by the way that these women came together to make a bad situation (being raped and ostracized) into a profoundly positive healing village that propels women and their children towards greater empowerment and self-determination!
"We've seen so many changes in these women," Ms. Lolosoli said. "They're healthier and happier. They dress well. They used to have to beg. Now, they're the ones giving out food to others."Because there is no formal divorce in Samburu culture, the husbands sometimes barge into Umoja and demand that their wives come home again. The women refuse. If the men grow abusive, the women run to the local authorities.
"Sometimes a man will come in and want to beat his wife," said Ms. Lolosoli, the chief. "He'll see that the woman's earning some money and wearing nice clothes. She'll always tell him to go away. You should see his face when she says, 'I don't need you anymore.' "
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