Get inspired...

Wednesday night I saw Betty Makoni speak -- Zimbabwean activist and 2008 Recipient of the Ginetta Sagan Amnesty International Award for Women's and Children's Rights -- and I am still on a high from the event.

I have realized, after a career trying to improve the conditions in the world, it is really important at least every quarter to hear an inspirational person who reminds you why you are doing this work.

Betty Makoni is such a person. She embodies the word 'empowerment' and models how we can support communities to claim their own destinies. She has built a network of girls' clubs in Zimbabwe, now numbering over 30,000 girls, and these clubs develop strategies for their own growth and enhancement. Many of the members are victims of rape and domestic violence, much like Betty Makoni, who was raped at age 6 and who saw her mother killed in a domestic violence a few years later. But rather than give these girls a handout, Betty invites them to 'reach for the sky', heal their wounds, challenge societal norms around violence and build skills to live successful lives. She teaches girls to use the words donors use -- like 'strategic planning' -- and claim them for their own.

Her Girl Child Network reminds me of the elements of successful community programs:

• They tap into the strengths of people and challenge them to grow and succeed; many programs for sexual abuse victims are 'survivor' oriented. Betty wants her girls to thrive. Her healing camp for rape victims is called an "Empowerment Camp."
  
• They are not just a 'program' but are part of a movement to effect societal change, in this case the attitudes towards girls and women;
  
• They have their own energy - in this case the energy of the girls - to keep it going and growing. Betty does not have to set up girls' clubs, though she is usually there for their inauguration. They can be set up by girls' themselves and thus draw on the energy of large groups of people.

At the end of her talk, she implored the audience not just to send emails, but to stand in solidarity with her and her movement who are suffering under the current Zimbabwean government. The girls have the energy, but they need resources and support to rise above the challenges they face.

Enjoy your weekend and get inspired! My next installment will address another dimension of empowerment - resiliency.