IWCB Women Walk for Covid Causes

IWCB WOMEN WALK FOR COVID CAUSES

COVID-19 has decimated the funds of an important organization serving the needs of under-privileged women and children in Barcelona. You can help us restore these funds and aid these women as they work to achieve a more secure and healthy life for themselves and their families, by pledging a donation to a volunteer Walk/Run/or Bike-athoner member of the International Women’s Club of Barcelona (IWCB).
 
Lloc de la Dona (http://www.llocdeladona.org/es/) is a center supporting victims of sexual exploitation and prostitutes, with its associated clothing company, Dona Kolors, which trains and employs the women it assists. The funds we raise will be used to continue this work, helping these women build safe and healthy life options.
 
Here are just 2 stories that show what your help will do for others:
 
JOY
It took Joy 5 years to get to Spain. She came by boat with her two-year-old son. Deceived by the mafia and taken first to Senegal where she was forced into prostitution, they lived on the streets for 4 years. When she finally made it to Barcelona, she found herself again in the street with a young child, no work papers, and no support system.

After taking different courses given by Lloc de la Dona, Joy was able to take part in a government program which offered her steady employment. But at the time, she was 2 months pregnant and fearful that she would have to abort the child to take the job. Lloc de la Dona again provided support at every turn to help her make good decisions, navigate through her pregnancy, and believe in herself.

Now Joy works cleaning the streets of her adopted city with her work permit and residency. She feels confident and safe, and no longer fears for the future of her children. The youngest is now 10 months old and is named Miracle because, as his mother explains, his birth brought a miracle to their lives.
 
PRECIOUS
My name is Precious, I’m 25, and I am from Nigeria. I came to Spain 5 years ago after a very long journey. First, I went to Italy and then came by bus to Spain. I was forced into prostitution in order to survive.

A friend told me about Lloc de la Dona, an organization that helps women. I stopped by one afternoon and was greeted by a girl who asked me what I wanted to do. I told her that I wanted to study and find work.

That was how I began to study Spanish and, little by little, learn many new things. They also offered me the opportunity to sing in the Lloc de la Dona Gospel Choir and I quickly said yes. I had sung as a child in my church and singing has accompanied me always. It helps me express what I live and everything that I feel. It is a song which comes from deep within which I am able to share with many others.

Now, my Spanish is improving, I am training for a better future, and I continue to sing.


Our goal is to collect 2,500 Euros over the summer of 2020.
 
 
WHAT YOU CAN DO
 
Members of the International Women’s Club of Barcelona (IWCB) have committed to walking, running or biking a specific number of kilometers between July 1 and September 30. With roots and friendships spanning the globe, the women of the IWCB invite family, friends, and the kind-hearted to join forces with us. Our Goal of 2,500 euros (may we well surpass it!) is such a small amount in the scheme of things, but a number that will provide so much for so many in need.
 
To make donating easy for everyone, we will be utilizing this GoFundMe page. Please pledge as much as you can to the Club member who contacts you. Or don’t wait to be contacted. Make the first move, or just go ahead and donate! No amount is too small – or too large! Feel free to share the link to the GFM site with anyone else you think would welcome the chance to link arms with like-minded women to help other women rise up and fulfill their dreams of a better, safer life for themselves and their families – especially in these even more difficult times. Maybe you would like to rally your troops in your part of the world and start a walk/run/bike-athon to add to the efforts! What a wonderful way to join our voices all across the world.
 
Typically, money pledged to an event like this one would be paid out by the generous donors after that last kilometer or mile is achieved. Since the need is so great and so immediate, and resources and funds all but wiped out due to the pandemic, we humbly ask that those who are willing and able, “pay it forward” and donate their pledge in advance so that the funds collected can be put to immediate use to help these struggling women and their families.
 
 
MORE ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S CLUB OF BARCELONA
 
The International Women’s Club of Barcelona has been meeting on a continuous basis since 1955. Members are both expats from all continents as well as those from Catalonia, seeking to share and learn from each other, and support women in need in Barcelona. Learn more at the club’s website:  https://iwcbarcelona.com/ or visit our FaceBook page.