The Apparent Project is a nonprofit in Haiti. It consists of a missionary family who lives in Haiti and began some businesses for the Haitians to work at in order to provide jobs and a way to make money on their own. They make bracelets, necklaces, stationery, and children's clothing. It's an awesome ministry, as the missionary family is brilliant and very strategic in helping the Haitians there.
Anyways, I was reading their blog, and I began to think about how blessed I am being a woman in the United States. I never really think about that.
I've thought about how blessed I am to have all the things I have--food, car, house, clothes, etc. But not really about my rights as a women. I kind of put those in the category of feminism, and I think those days are over. We have won our battle, and that's all that matters.Many of the women in Haiti, and in a lot of the world, are abused by their husbands, and it's not looked down upon like it is here.
A lot of women never even have the chance to get married because it's too expensive. How sad would that be? Never having the commitment of marriage.
They are cheated on a whole lot.
They don't have men who desire to serve them in a Christ-like manner, and or even respect them at all. They can't complain about having so much to do as a stay-at-home mom. They most likely have nothing to do at all. No work, little food, and not much house work, as they live in tents. They might have to walk far for water, but I feel like they probably aren't nearly as busy as us American women think we need to be, doing things like In Style recommends for the "To-Do List" for today. "1. Get Flawless foundation. 2. Discover 5 beauty products that flatter everyone. 3. Get expert answers on your fashion questions." Those things are crazy, and I don't even realize it until I think about these Haitian women.There might be benefits to the simplicity of their lives that I don't recognize... But I can't say there is any benefit to being beaten.
Shelly from the Apparent Project writes about the plight of even Christian women, "How is it that I could go to their church in cut-off jeans, dyed hair, nose ring and sporting tattoos and they wouldn't say boo, but a Haitian single mom living in the mud would be thrown out because her clothes aren't clean enough. How is it that women all over the world are in such a precarious position in life. YES! We American women have it SOOOOO good compared to 90% of the rest of the world. We are treated so much more fairly."
During childbirth, they wouldn't even dream of getting their own hospital room. They are lucky to get a bed. "Every woman I saw was by herself, crying in the dark in the rain as the pains of childbirth ravaged her. Every woman was without a hand to hold, without a calm voice to reassure, every woman was... alone. There were no less that 50 woman in labor, on the floor, in the hallways, screaming, bleeding, by themselves. No family was allowed to enter."
I am so thankful for all of the rights that I have as an American woman. I am so blessed to live here, and I long to help, somehow, these Haitian women, men, and children.
The Apparent Project needs money for their ministry--to be able to pay the rent for the building that the families work in and have school in, and to help buy houses for the many families who live in tents. If you want to check out their blog, and maybe even donate, it would be so great. I have been to meet this missionary family, and our team decided that they might be the most effective ministry that we saw in Haiti.
The people of Haiti have been on my heart and mind lately, and I want to do anything I can to help them. Alone, I can't make even a hint of change there, but with the Lord our Provider, Jehovah-jireh, and with people like... you! it is possible.
Click here to read more about the ApParent Project and what is going on in Haiti now.
Click here to contribute to the ApParent Project.
No comments:
Post a Comment