Happy Friday, Givologists! Check out a sneak peek from [i]A Guide to Giving[/i]'s Emerge Global profile below, written by Jane Chen. Emerge Global is a non-profit that assists and empowers girls who have previously been abused in Sri Lanka.
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Started in 2005, Emerge Global came about when Alia was volunteering in Sri Lanka post-tsunami and was overwhelmed by the girls she met at a shelter for survivors of abuse– many of whom were barely teenagers yet were already nursing their own children. After having the courage to testify in court against their perpetrators (oftentimes their own brothers, fathers or uncles), they were cast out by their families and ostracized by their communities. These girls had endured so much that Alia did not know how to approach them. Yet she knew they each had a story and a dream and wanted them to see their own strengths. These girls had endured so much but no one wanted to talk to them. Hoping to get to know them better, Alia brought out beads and made necklaces with the girls. The beads had a therapeutic effect and rejuvenated the girls’ confidence. It was the first time some of those girls had laughed in years. With encouragement from the girls’ counselor who called the beads magic, the idea of Emerge bloomed.
“I remember walking in and not knowing how to look at these kids, but I knew that I wanted to get to know them. They had been through a lot but were also so strong. They had such big dreams,” says Alia.
[url=http://www.amazon.com/A-Guide-to-Giving-ebook/dp/B00B46UV5I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1358868298&sr=8-3&keywords=guide+to+giving]Click here to read more and buy Givology's book![/url] [font=OpenSansRegular, arial, sans-serif]All proceeds will go back to our grassroots partners. [/font]
15 FEB 2013