“We must become the change we want to see in the world”
These simple and commanding words by Mahatma Gandhi capture the essence of empowerment, and the essence of what the GCSW, and our group, aspire to everyday. This blog, dedicated to all the beautiful and powerful girls of Rwanda and all over the world, would not have been possible without the unwavering support, and faith of Jen Lemen, and Odette Umurerwa. Meet them here.
Let’s Learn How to Help Ourselves and Others is the story of Odette, age 7, born of and inspired by her ideas that allowed her, her brother, and a small group of friends to overcome the tremendous poverty and limited resources of the refugee camp where they live. By selling their chicken eggs at the market, and pooling their resources together they are able to pay school fees for five children, buy what they need, and even make loans to the adults in their community.
Empowering to girls, children, and adults alike, this story inspires hope that a better world is possible for anyone if they use their minds and ideas to help themselves and one another. By exposing children to the story of children in Rwanda, it also broadens their cultural lens and fosters the ability to care for others in a diverse world.
We hope that this book will move you the way that it has moved us. On the left side of this page you will find many resources for using this book, including a discussion guide, an explanation of why it remains important to focus on girls, and many activities for empowering children, nurturing hopefulness and facilitating cultural awareness. We welcome your feedback; please send it to rwandagroup1@gmail.com.
Pictures copyrighted by Jen Lemen.
