Dear Friends,As we begin our 19th year of Assist International and our first issue of this New Year, all of us at Assist International are thankful for your partnership and grateful to be among those who make a difference in the lives of others. Our partnerships. personal and corporate, are the reason so many lives have experienced a new beginning.
Cheri Reynolds, who has dedicated her life to empower the women of Africa through Enzi Imports, inspired us with a story worth hearing and acting on. Her story is of a mother with beautiful twin daughters. It is both heart breaking and inspirational:
"The New Year brings new lists, commitments, determination, the 'new' you... yell less, work harder or smarter, save more, lose more, exercise more...the list can be endless. As we all look to a New Year of new beginnings, new resolve, let me share with you a way that you can help others with a new beginning as well. As I have travelled and met women, I am always amazed and humbled at why I wasn't born in Africa, but instead was born in land where I am presented with the same opportunities as the next person. Women in most African countries have little to no rights and they suffer unspeakable indignities on a daily basis.
Consider the real life story of Emma. She lives in Webuye, Kenya, and is the mother of twin girls, Shirlyne and Sandra (pictured). In her tribe, twins born first are considered a curse, and the legend states that the father will die (ten years later, he is still alive); however, when anyone connected with Emma dies, the tribe blames the death on the twins. Legend has it that the only way to break the curse is to kill one of the twins. Her tribe, including the father, has set out to kill one of Emma's girls. Because of these death threats, Emma has left her tribe and is trying to provide for herself so that her twins can live.
She is starting to make jewelry for Enzi Imports, and aside from being able to provide the basic needs for her family, her work allows her to remain independent and her precious daughters to live.
Africa is full of courageous, hardworking women who are looking for opportunities to rise out of poverty and care for themselves and their children. Perhaps a chance for us also to have something new in our lives as well; how many of us can say we helped change a life in a tangible and lasting way? How many of us know that a small amount we give as seed money can change the destiny of a family in need?" - Cheri Reynolds
What better way can we change the destiny of a family than to help them begin a new life with a new destiny under the direction of Cheri Reynolds who is dedicated to "empowering women of Africa?" The seed money you give will change the destiny of a family in need. It's worth considering.
For the poor and needy,
Bob Pagett
