Well I do have a new "sister" but it's not in a traditional sense. I just got a package from Women for Women International containing the information about the latest sister I am sponsoring. She is living in the Sudan.
Here are a few facts -
-She shares a home (hut actually) with 24 including her 5 boys. She had 6 children but one died. There is no running water or electricity and the main source of lighting is kerosene.
-She cannot read her name or write and has never been to school.
-Medical attention is too expensive, too far and has a shortage of medicines.
-In the Sudan, a woman is more likely to die in childbirth than to graduate from primary school.
-Almost 90% of women in Sudan have experienced FGM (female genital mutilation). Women who do not under go FGM risk being shunned or sanctioned.
-Rape has been used extensively as a tool of war during the conflict in Darfur to terrorize the population.
It's a big reality check as I wrote my letter to her in my home with heat, hot water, ample food, computer, tv, cell phone and pets that are probably better fed than some of the residents of Sudan.
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