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Greetings!
Last month I promised to share with you some stories of the women being helped by our new collaboration with the Mennonite Women's Desk in the Diocese of Rumbek, where Kaitlyn Jantzi is currently completing a needs assessment for women's projects. Kaitlyn sent me 2 samples of the many interviews she had with local women. We include them below along with photos of the women. Read them; look at their faces. Be filled with joy in knowing that, through Mercy Beyond Borders, we are connected to such courageous women, and we have the privilege of providing resources to them as they rebuild their war-ravaged lives in the supportive environment of women's groups that provide literacy and numeracy classes, skills training, and above all, the realization that their lives are important.
Have a wonderful summer, and remember to donate to MBB when you are able. Thank you,  |
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Did You Know? | |
Gender-based violence increases in conflict-affected settings.
Displaced women and girls-such as those with whom MBB works--are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence.
When a conflict officially ends--as in S. Sudan--sexual violence against women and girls often continues and may escalate: in post-conflict settings, legal institutions and social systems, which often act as protective mechanisms, are disorganized and dysfunctional; these factors can lead to an increased risk of sexual violence. |
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Tech Tips |
In just 2 easy steps, you can sign up to be a "follower" of the MBB occasional blog written by Sr Marilyn. Clicking on it takes you directly to the latest blog.
Here's how to set it up:
1. Go to www.mercybeyondborders.blogspot.com 2. On the right column, click on "Follow."
Once you sign up, a small orange icon (a square with the letter "B" inside it) will appear at the top of your internet screen.
That's it. You're done! |
| Read Our Blogs | |
Mercy Beyond Borders blog provides a weekly commentary from MBB's founder, Marilyn Lacey, rsm, on MBB activities at home and abroad.
Mercy in Sudan blog
chronicles the experiences of Kathleen Connolly, rsm, who moved to Africa in Jan 2009. She is living at St Bakhita School in Sudan. |
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Archived Newsletters
You can find previous issues of this newsletter in the below links.
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"Even if you have nothing,
you are a person."
40-year-old Elizabeth Aluel sits in the office of the St. Monica Women's centre in Rumbek wearing a bright red wrap and golden earrings. She is a vibrant Sudanese woman with a strong personality--quick to anger and quick to laughter.
"My life is divided," she says, "before the struggle and after the struggle."
Her childhood was happy, with enough food and fresh milk. She married a good man and mothered five children; but civil war erupted shortly thereafter and two of her daughters died of sickness for lack of doctors or medicines.
During the war, Elizabeth says the enemies would come to your village and call you out of your house, only to slaughter you. She says she witnessed many, many bad things. One afternoon her village heard that an attack was coming, so two of her sons ran into the tall grasses to hide. The soldiers came and burned all the grasses, killing her two sons. Now she had lost 4 of her 5 children.
Elizabeth was in the police force during the war. She carried a gun and was ordered to shoot it. Whenever she raised the gun to aim she would start to pray and she could never kill. She only pointed the gun and pretended. Her superiors would have killed her if they knew.
In 2003 Elizabeth's husband was killed while walking to work on a farm. That year she came to Rumbek. There she found Sister Mary Mumu and St. Monica's women's group. "I came to St. Monica, and Sister Mumu became my mother, my brother, my husband and my child."
"At St. Monica if you are sick they give you medicine, if you are hungry they give you food. We go to school, we learn to sew. At St. Monica you are a person; even if you have nothing, you are a person."
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Made in God's Image
Nyamtoc was one of the first women at St. Monica's women's group. When she first heard the creation story from Genesis, she realized with a shock that she was made in the image of God and that her body should not be just for other people's use, bought or sold for cows to the highest bidder. That was Nyamtoc's world; now she wanted to change it.
 Nyamtoc's husband had several other wives. In their culture, couples cannot have sex while a woman is nursing, so traditionally the men travel around to the different places where their wives are, impregnating them and then moving on to the next wife until after that pregnant wife gives birth and finishes nursing--then he returns to impregnate her again.
When Nyamtoc's second child, Bakhita, was weaned, the husband returned. Nyamtoc refused to sleep with him unless he brought money to pay for the expenses of raising the child. He was enraged. He beat Nyamtoc but she stood her ground.
The next night as Nyamtoc, Elizabeth, and Bahkita were sleeping he came with a flaming torch and lit their tukul on fire. Nyamtoc, Bahkita and Elizabeth escaped but were apprehended by the police. Nyamtoc was put in prison for denying her husband his "rights." After Nyamtoc's release, the husband for the most part left her alone.
Ten years later Nyamtoc's husband reappeared, intending to have 11-yr old Bakhita married off. Nyamtoc's older daughter, Elizabeth, had been married off earlier, bringing in quite a few cows as a dowry to the father. Nyamtoc fought against the early marriage of Bakhita , insisting that she would not sell her daughter and that Bakhita must stay in school. This same argument was repeated when Bakhita was 15.
Nyamtoc has remained strong and 15-year-old Bakhita is still in school. Elizabeth, the elder girl, is now a member of St. Monica's women's group--the same group where her mother first realized her own human dignity and tapped into unbelievable inner strength.
Nyamtoc's daughter Elizabeth has borne four children, two of whom are still living. She was married to an alcoholic old man who often beat her and her children. One day in a drunken furyhe told Elizabeth that he was going to kill her, but first she had to throw their infant into the river.
Elizabeth said she would never kill their baby. When he turned to the house to get his gun, Elizabeth grabbed her children and fled. She left her husband's village and is now living in Rumbek. She is raising her two little girls and coming to St. Monica's to learn English and practical life skills.
Elizabeth has said she will not be with a man again unless that man is one with whom she can sit and have an intellectual conversation, a man of her own choosing.
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| Ambassadors Of The Month
Stan & Alice Chow
Stan & Alice Chow | "We support Mercy Beyond Borders because its mission is so clear and powerful. Through the education of girls and young women in postwar Sudan, MBB helps the new generation change their own country and stand up against injustice. This is no doubt a long term effort; but just as a small mustard seed grows into a large bush over time, we believe that MBB is contributing to lasting peace and social justice in Sudan and beyond."
Ambassadors volunteer to raise $1,000 each year for Mercy Beyond Borders. For more information, or to become an Ambassador, contact Marilyn Lacey at mercybeyondborders@yahoo.com |
You're receiving this email because of your interest in MERCY BEYOND BORDERS. MBB was founded in 2008 by three colleagues-- a Sister of Mercy, a university professor, and a medical doctor--determined to improve the lives of displaced women and children living in extreme poverty. We are a 501(c)(3) registered in California and committed to linking U.S. resources with displaced women & children overseas. We are currently targeting Southern Sudan, which has one-quarter of the world's displaced peoples.
Please feel free to forward this to others who may be interested in hearing about us.
Sincerely,
Sister Marilyn Lacey
Executive Director
Donations to support the work of Mercy Beyond Borders can be made online by clicking on the button above or sent to Mercy Beyond Borders, 1885 De La Cruz Blvd #101, Santa Clara CA 95050-3000. |
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