Mary’s life unraveled the day she was violently raped while fetching water near her house in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She despaired when she realized she was pregnant — and alone, blamed and shunned by her family when she needed them most.
Sadly, Mary’s story is not unique. Thousands of our neighbors in the DRC are alone, destitute and living in the shadows after surviving violence.
Women will continue to suffer in shame and poverty… unless your love changes their future.
You can help women in the DRC launch small businesses and find healing and independence after the horrible trauma of rape.
Mary received counseling and learned to sew. And with the sewing machine she received, Mary found hope in the way small scraps of fabric could become something useful and beautiful. She now has her own sewing business and the promise of a better future for herself and her son. Her smile and her self-worth have returned.
“I used to be known in my village as the woman who was raped,” Mary says, “but now I am known as The Woman Who Sews.”
Your love is the counseling, training and the hand up a woman needs to start a business and a new path for the future.
Your gift of $150 will change a woman’s life. How many lives will you help from the shadows?
Your love is a fresh start when a woman needs it most, and we won’t stop until your love reaches every neighbor.
Make your gift online now at lwr.org/bestpractices20.