OVARIES! FUND-RAISERS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Fund-raiser,
too!
Female
Genital Mutilation, Sex Trafficking, and That Takes Ovaries! Fund-raisers
FUND-RAISER,TOO!
Rivka-the-book-editor
sez: In keeping with the philosophy that it is important
to give back to our communities, I encourage each "bigger, public"
open mike organizer (for more info on how to be an organizer, click
here) to make her event a fund-raiser, and to split the proceeds between
two causes: one local, one international. We females
are scattered far and wide; by dividing up our resources locally and internationally,
we cover all bases.
Some
of the money collected can go to covering costs (though it is hoped that
sponsors or in-kind donations will take care of that), and, if necessary,
to paying the organizer something. But regardless of
costs, most of the proceeds should go to the beneficiaries of the fund-raiser.
It is
my suggestion and hope that a portion of the money raised go to a local
girls' program -- whichever one you like in your community.
(If you need an idea, consider your nearest chapter of Girls Inc.
(www.girlsinc.org)
one of the nation's preeminent girls' organizations. They
help girls with everything from self-defense to economic empowerment to
preventing adolescent pregnancy.) If you cannot find
a local girls' group that seems right for an Ovaries! fund-raiser,
pick a women's group.
It is
my further hope that another portion of the money your event raises will
be dedicated to stopping two of the most appalling international human rights
abuses perpetrated against women and girls -- sexual
enslavement and, separately, female genital mutilation (FGM) (for info on
these two horrific violations of girls' rights and sexual freedom see below).
To this end, That Takes Ovaries! established a relationship
with Equality Now (www.equalitynow.org),
a New York-based international women's organization that, among other things,
works with grassroots groups around the globe to eradicate FGM as well as
the sex trafficking of girls. Some of the writers in
this book have already generously donated their contributor's honorarium
to Equality Now. Imagine if every open mike distributed
information and made a donation, too. We could make a
real difference in the crucial goal of educating the public and ending both
sexual slavery and FGM. And we would be sending a strong
message that women in the so-called First World, a world of privilege, care
about all women around the globe. (Note: If there is
another international women's cause you'd prefer to donate to, that is also
an option. Donating to Equality Now is strongly encouraged
but not required.)
For those
of you who have never organized for a cause or never before seen yourselves
as social change activists -- Welcome! Please use this
event to get your feet (and knees and tush) wet. There
is nothing like the high that comes from making a difference.
Rivka-the-book-editor
sez: It is my hope that the That Takes Ovaries!
Open Mikes that you organize (especially the "bigger, public"
ones) will be both consciousness-raisers and fund-raisers, with a percentage
of the money raised going to local girls' groups and a percentage going
to the organization Equality Now (www.equalitynow.org)
for their work to stop female genital mutilation (FGM) and the equally horrible
but separate atrocity of sexual enslavement. (For general
info on Ovaries! fund-raising see above.)
FGM is
one of the most atrocious human rights abuses perpetrated against girls
around the globe. To date, 130 million females from Africa
to Europe and the United States have been mutilated and suffer permanent
disabilities from the barbaric act. An unknown number
die each year during and after the procedure. Equality Now works with community-based leaders
and grassroots groups worldwide to promote a better understanding of FGM
and effective strategies for its eradication
Click here if you want to read how Fauziya Kassindja, who managed to escape FGM, describes it in her story in That Takes Ovaries!
Fauziya left her home, her family, her country to escape the brutality of FGM. Today, in part because of her work publicizing the horrors of FGM, Fauziya's homeland of Togo, West Africa, has outlawed the practice. But it still goes on legally and illegally around the world. Equality Now is one of the leading organizations working to stop it.
They
also work to end global sex trafficking of girls and women.
Ruchira Gupta describes sexual slavery in India in her story in That
Takes Ovaries! Click
here to read it.