Craig Packer, who is the founder of the Facebook pages, Stop The Worldwide War on Girls, The Silence Stops Now and Global Microlending Network for Women read my Worldwide Women’s Support Circle appeal for a $500 donation to get a Computer Center up and running for Zephaniah’s Free Education. His kindness and generosity was an answer to our prayers, especially to those of us who know how important this donation is to get the Computer Center going for the children in this region of Pakistan.
Craig shares, “I became aware of just how dire the situation is for women and girls our world over. What I learned changed everything about how I see our shared global community and how I approach gender issues. The more I researched and the more I listened to and learned from the global community of women, I realized that the challenges facing women and girls all over the world are connected to larger issues—a systemic set of structures that are designed to prohibit women from achieving full economic, social, political, and cultural equality. We find ourselves falling into the bottomless pit of trying to solve symptoms rather than root causes. And solving symptoms solves nothing.
For me, this journey has fundamentally changed what it means to be a man.
We need to have a serious conversation about gender, and the time for that conversation is dreadfully overdue. We have to look at what happens to girls and women across the entire lifespan. And we have to look at the social and cultural systems and structures that created and perpetuate these inequalities.”
Stop the Worldwide War on Girls’ Facebook page shares this powerful statement:
“One of our most precious resources–the world’s women and girls–is at tremendous risk. Our mission is to increase awareness of the global war on girls, to forge partnerships with organizations that support this mission–and ultimately, to stop the assault on the daughters of the world. Girls are frequent victims of:
Gendercide, abandonment, neglect, and malnutrition
Child prostitution
Child rape
Inadequate access to education
Child marriage
Human trafficking
Child labor
Female genital cutting
When girls are not valued and acknowledged for their tremendous potential, the consequences when they become women, if they make it to that point at all, can be harsh. These consequences include:
Limited individual economic empowerment
Life-long economic dependence
Cyclical poverty
Forced marriage
Perpetuated boy preference
Inability to inherit family wealth or lead family rituals
Honor killings
Acid burning
Limited rights to prosecute men or boys for rape or other crimes
Forced abortion
Forced labor
Unfair imprisonment
Domestic violence
Human trafficking
All of the challenges cited above will continue to persist. Unabated. In fact, all data suggest that these challenges will only get worse. Unless we do something.
Gender should never be a death sentence–or a sentence of perpetual suffering. You can help.”
With The Silence Stops Now Facebook page, the focus is: “A civilized nation doesn’t tolerate violence against women.”
Global Microlending Network for Women offers:
“Our desire is to create a network of individuals, organizations, websites, and social media pages that are dedicated to supporting women and children.
Microlending harbors tremendous potential to improve the economic, social, political, and educational empowerment of women and children. We do not care what microfinancing mechanism you use to make this happen–or whether you support women who are starting businesses or men who are looking for assistance in paying school fees for their children. Just as long as you support the endeavor, we welcome and encourage your participation and support!”
Can you imagine if we had a world wh
ere men actually cared as much as this one man does! Can you imagine having men who would devote their time and efforts to do all they can to not only raise awareness of the issues about girls and women who are suffering and who must be empowered, but a man who would go to great lengths to donate very generous sums of money that transforms the lives of hundreds of girls and women from impoverished areas in Kenya, Pakistan and elsewhere! If we had more men who cared, our world would be transformed in a very short time, especially when men add their financial support to help women.
Statistics show that when women are empowered, when they are offered an education and opportunities, they are the ones who are contributing the most to their families and the economy in their villages and countries. Men must wake up to the fact that they can no longer keep women in a state of ignorance and poverty and that if they would only do something to help empower girls and women, then our whole world would be transformed in a very short time.
I and those whose lives have been so deeply touched by this one man’s amazing efforts to help his sisters to help others want to publicly thank and acknowledge Craig Packer from the depths of our hearts. We can only pray that he will inspire more men to do what they can to help girls and women to rise above the oppression they have been forced to live under for too long now. With the help of powerful role models like Craig Packer, we can and we will transform our world by freeing our sisters from the male domination, ignorance and violence that is plaguing our planet.
Here is an article from Safe World for Women that Craig has written entitled:
For the Boys: One Man’s Call to Action to Other Men
http://www.asafeworldforwomen.org/al-news/4538-one-mans-call.html
Please support these important pages to raise awareness of these issues facing girls and women globally:
Stop the Worldwide War on Girls
https://www.facebook.com/The.Worldwide.War.on.Girls
The Silence Stops Now
https://www.facebook.com/TheSilenceStopsNow/timeline
Global Microlending Network for Women
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Microlending-Network-for-Women/117666238417742
