Hello my Thankful Thursday dreamers!
Did you know that there are more than seven billion people live on Earth? That’s seven billion hearts beating. Seven billion bodies breathing. Seven billion minds creating thoughts and ideas all over the world.
Yet, so many, especially women face struggle everyday all around us. Even so, there is one thing that will never cease to be created regardless of the struggles:
DREAMS.
Dreams created from the the slums of a bustling gray city, to the parched land of an isolated farm, to the refugee camps of a war-torn nation.
Last week, in my post International Women’s Day is Sunday – What Will You be Doing to Honor the Dreams of Women? honoring International Women’s Day on March 8, I shared how the African Bank is empowering women.
This week, here on 8WD, we are grateful to be honoring the dreams of a group of people who have been told not to dream. A group of people who have been told “they can’t” more times than they have been told “they can.” A group who has faced abuse for being born the way they are. A group of people commodified and enslaved. A group who brings life into this world, but who are often powerless over their own. (Source: PRNewswire)
We honor women.
To celebrate International Women’s Day Kiva launched Kiva.org/Dreams to spotlight the power of women because it’s the dreams of women that make our world a better place.
And dreamers, I am so grateful for that!
8 Women Dream visited Kiva.org/Dreams to back a woman’s dream and found a woman’s group whom Kiva should lend $25.00 to. There is no cost while Kiva is running this special dream program, although we plan to continue helping this group of women.
By choosing the Laidou Group to help them purchase condiments, we hope to continue them follow their dream of growing their business, sending children to school, and ultimately, gaining financial independence.
The women of the LAIDOU group are on average 42-years-old, with three children, all living in traditional, large families in TENE/SEGOU (fourth largest administrative region in the Republic of Mali). These women all met through family and neighborhood links, and are involved in the purchase and sale of vegetables, grains, soaps and condiments. (Source: Kiva.org)
When women have the resources to make their dreams a reality, the world changes.
More children go to school, more food is grown, and nations are more peaceful and prosperous. A case in point: if women farmers had equal access to farming assets and finance, they could increase their crop yields up to 30% and 150 million people who go hungry every day would be able to eat. (Source: Kiva.org)
Kiva.org is the world’s first and largest crowd-funding platform for social good with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Since 2005, Kiva and their growing global community of 1.3 million lenders have crowd-funded more than $675 million in micro-loans, backing the dreams of 1.6 million people. (Source: PRNewswire)
Kiva is a nonprofit and makes no money from the loans they facilitate.
By contributing to the success of an entrepreneurial woman who has overcome obstacles, we discover so much more about our own resiliency, possibility, and potential. Each of us has a part to play.
Together we can make dreams a reality for thousands of women around the world. So in honor of International Women’s Day and the power of women, join us at 8WD and give back a dream at Kiva.org/Dreams.
With love and gratitude for an inspired and empowered week…
Sue Faith Levy
Just Pursue It!
Sources for this story:
• PRNmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases
• Back A Dream in Honor of International Women’s Day at Kiva.org
• Kiva.org
Give us your thoughts!
Sue Levy is the founder of the South African Just Pursue It Blog and Inspirational Women Initiative. She’s a motivational writer and media designer, who is obsessed with everything inspirational with a hint of geek. She thrives on teaching women how to be brave and take big chances on themselves.
