Goodbye Zakiah; Hello Nachzia

You're probably wondering what THAT all means!!

I am a part of a wonderful charity called Women For Women International. They work with women in war-torn countries to help them become more economically stable, giving them education and marketable skills. When you donate to this organization, you get a "sister", and your donations go to her. Originally I was assigned Zakiah in Iraq. Because of the conditions there, I was asked not to write to her, but usually you get to write letters to your sister, and they write back!! (with help from the people from WTW; most of them can't write). Well, Zakiah has just completed her year in the program, and I was sent her exit interview, which shows that she really feels she has improved in many different areas. She used the money mostly for housing, but she loved the manual training she received, and particularly liked the classes she took on human rights.

My new sister is from Afghanistan and her name is Nachzia. She is single, and couldn't tell the organization her birthdate or exactly how old she was. They are estimating her age at about 28. She has no education, cannot read or write more than her name, lives in a hut with 7 people. No electricity, no water. She doesn't work because she has no skills, and can't get medical care because she can't afford it. She is hoping to develop vocational skills and improve her economic situation.

This time I can write to her, and I can't wait to meet her. Doesn't it make you almost ashamed of all we have?