6 Things You Can Do to Help Women in Need

Lori from Yahoo Shine:

Zainab Salbi, Founder of Women for Women International, is dedicated to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives. You don't have to start an international non-profit to lend a hand. Salbi shared the following suggestions on easy ways to make a difference with Yahoo! Shine.

1. Connect with a woman survivor of war by sponsoring her for a year. Send $30 a month to exchange pictures and letters with her. In that time, she will meet with other networks of women in her community and go through educational and vocational skills programs to help her rebuild her life and earn an income.






2. Organize women in your community to meet on a bridge for the 101st anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8, 2012. Join me on the Bridge is an annual event that unites women around the world around the issues of standing up for peace and putting an end to violence against women.






3. Buy an ethically produced product by women. Check out Kate Spade's line of items made by women in Afghanistan. Same Sky offers Fair Trade products crafted by women in Rwanda and Zambia. Maiyet partners with skilled artisans around the world and helps them to develop their crafts. Or purchase Gifts That Give Back.






4. Tell a story. Or promote another woman's story. Only when women start breaking their silence can we break the cycle of abuse and oppression against women. Connect with Women for Women International on Facebook or Twitter to learn more about women's stories around the world.






5. Read, watch, listen to another woman's story. Check out Rachel Lloyd's "Girls Like Us" or "Women, War and Peace" on PBS. "In the Land of Blood and Honey" is a new movie written and directed by Angelina Jolie about the war in Bosnia and its impact on women there.







6. Write to a representative, senator, or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to urge them to support full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which will ensure that women are active participants in all of the United States' peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts worldwide. Visit senate.gov or house.gov to find and contact your representative. For tips on how to write a letter, visit DoSomething.org.

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