Help me fight gender based violence
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All kinds of violence against women must stop. From domestic violence, sex trafficking, child brides, forced labor, to rape, we must put an end to it!
There are many countries where rape is being used as a weapon of war. Along with artillery, rape is being used to undermine communities and disrupt peace. In some places rape is cheaper than a bullet .
As a woman, a sister, a daughter, an auntie, and a mother of two kids, one being a girl, I can no longer stand by and hear story after story of violence specifically targeted at women and girls. So when I was asked to join the One Million Thumbprint campaign I saw it as an opportunity to do something which would support peacebuilding in areas of extreme conflict and would support survivors of gender based violence.
This is me.
One Million Thumbprints is rooted in the story of Esperance and the countless women like her. Esperance, a woman from DR Congo, was raped and left to die after her husband was murdered at the hands of rebels who violently attacked her village. Esperance would have simply been another statistic if it wasn’t for her Congolese sisters who found her and brought her to receive the physical and psychological help she needed. Esperance’s story would have been left untold and her suffering unrecognized if it wasn’t for storyteller and founder of the One Million Thumbprint campaign, Belinda Bauman, who heard Esperanza’s story as a mandate to do something. After Esperance shared her story with Belinda, she gave Belinda permission to “share it with the world” by signing a permission form with her thumbprint, her unique signature as she could not read or write.
Her thumbprint was a mandate to "tell the world my story.”
photo by Benjamin Edwards
It is difficult to wrap my mind around the extreme violence millions of women experience in these countries. These women survive only to then endure devastating physical and psychological trauma as they are often left crippled, shamed, and ostracized from their communities. In DR Congo alone seven out of ten women have experienced sexual violence.
One Million Thumbprints is a grassroots campaign advocating on behalf of survivors of gender based violence in war zones, specifically DR Congo, South Sudan, and Syria/Iraq.
It is a two fold campaign:
1) Advocate to the United Nations and other governing bodies to follow through on resolutions and laws already passed that will protect women in conflict zones.
2) Raise funds for proven organizations already on the ground in these countries who are meeting practical needs of women (food, shelter, rape kits, trauma care), training local leaders in negotiation and peacebuilding (making sure women are represented), and providing sustainable long term solutions (such as micro businesses, refugee resettlement, educational needs).
One Million Thumbprints tells the world not only the story of Esperance but of millions like her.
I believe there is hope for women like Esperance!
On February 26, 2016 I will be traveling to DR Congo and Tanzania with an amazing group of women (and 1 man) all who have joined the One Million Thumbprints campaign. As part of this campaign we will meet women who are survivors of gender-based violence in DR Congo. I am humbled by the opportunity to hear and share their stories and to shed light on what it is really like to live in one of the worst places in the world to be a woman.
After meeting these courageous women, my team will travel to Tanzania where we will hike Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mt. Kilimanjaro is famously known as the "Mountain of Light". It is 19,000 feet in altitude and is the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It will be a physically, emotionally, and spiritually challenging feat.
We will summit carrying thumbprints we have gathered on March 8, 2016 - International Women's Day.
This powerful gesture is a way of aligning with the suffering of the women we advocate for, and offering prayers for peace for women in all areas of extreme conflict.
This campaign gives all of us a way to support women and children in war zones.
Your donation will go directly to programs supporting these women.
My goal is to raise $20,000 - $10k in the first week and another $10k while we are hiking.
Please join me in using your voice on behalf of these women and financially supporting the programs that protect, care, and empower women to be vital instruments of peace and rebuilding in their communities.
Refuse to do nothing about violence against and women and join me today in supporting women survivors of gender based violence.
I am deeply grateful for your partnership.
Gratefully,
Kimberly Yim
There are many countries where rape is being used as a weapon of war. Along with artillery, rape is being used to undermine communities and disrupt peace. In some places rape is cheaper than a bullet .
As a woman, a sister, a daughter, an auntie, and a mother of two kids, one being a girl, I can no longer stand by and hear story after story of violence specifically targeted at women and girls. So when I was asked to join the One Million Thumbprint campaign I saw it as an opportunity to do something which would support peacebuilding in areas of extreme conflict and would support survivors of gender based violence.
This is me. One Million Thumbprints is rooted in the story of Esperance and the countless women like her. Esperance, a woman from DR Congo, was raped and left to die after her husband was murdered at the hands of rebels who violently attacked her village. Esperance would have simply been another statistic if it wasn’t for her Congolese sisters who found her and brought her to receive the physical and psychological help she needed. Esperance’s story would have been left untold and her suffering unrecognized if it wasn’t for storyteller and founder of the One Million Thumbprint campaign, Belinda Bauman, who heard Esperanza’s story as a mandate to do something. After Esperance shared her story with Belinda, she gave Belinda permission to “share it with the world” by signing a permission form with her thumbprint, her unique signature as she could not read or write.
Her thumbprint was a mandate to "tell the world my story.”
photo by Benjamin EdwardsIt is difficult to wrap my mind around the extreme violence millions of women experience in these countries. These women survive only to then endure devastating physical and psychological trauma as they are often left crippled, shamed, and ostracized from their communities. In DR Congo alone seven out of ten women have experienced sexual violence.
One Million Thumbprints is a grassroots campaign advocating on behalf of survivors of gender based violence in war zones, specifically DR Congo, South Sudan, and Syria/Iraq.
It is a two fold campaign:
1) Advocate to the United Nations and other governing bodies to follow through on resolutions and laws already passed that will protect women in conflict zones.
2) Raise funds for proven organizations already on the ground in these countries who are meeting practical needs of women (food, shelter, rape kits, trauma care), training local leaders in negotiation and peacebuilding (making sure women are represented), and providing sustainable long term solutions (such as micro businesses, refugee resettlement, educational needs).
One Million Thumbprints tells the world not only the story of Esperance but of millions like her.
I believe there is hope for women like Esperance!
On February 26, 2016 I will be traveling to DR Congo and Tanzania with an amazing group of women (and 1 man) all who have joined the One Million Thumbprints campaign. As part of this campaign we will meet women who are survivors of gender-based violence in DR Congo. I am humbled by the opportunity to hear and share their stories and to shed light on what it is really like to live in one of the worst places in the world to be a woman.
After meeting these courageous women, my team will travel to Tanzania where we will hike Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mt. Kilimanjaro is famously known as the "Mountain of Light". It is 19,000 feet in altitude and is the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It will be a physically, emotionally, and spiritually challenging feat.
We will summit carrying thumbprints we have gathered on March 8, 2016 - International Women's Day.
This powerful gesture is a way of aligning with the suffering of the women we advocate for, and offering prayers for peace for women in all areas of extreme conflict.
This campaign gives all of us a way to support women and children in war zones.
Your donation will go directly to programs supporting these women.
My goal is to raise $20,000 - $10k in the first week and another $10k while we are hiking.
Please join me in using your voice on behalf of these women and financially supporting the programs that protect, care, and empower women to be vital instruments of peace and rebuilding in their communities.
Refuse to do nothing about violence against and women and join me today in supporting women survivors of gender based violence.
I am deeply grateful for your partnership.
Gratefully,
Kimberly Yim
Organizer
Kimberly McOwen Yim
Organizer
San Clemente, CA