“I Demand My Rights.”

“I Demand My Rights.”

Kaia* was eleven years old when she was assaulted and raped on the way to school. A teacher took her to the hospital, but the police demanded bribes for even taking down a statement.

So Kaia did something incredibly brave. She sued the police for failing to protect her. What’s even more incredible is what happened next.

In Kenya where Kaia lives, a woman or girl is raped every 30 minutes. Police there routinely turn a blind eye, further isolating terrified young survivors and reinforcing the notion that rape is ok.

Kaia and ten other young survivors challenged that. On the day of the case, ignoring threats to their safety and a blockade from court security, they marched from their shelter to the courthouse, chanting “Haki yangu” — Kiswahili for “I demand my rights.” And then the judge issued his ruling: The girls had won!

The amazing advocates and human rights lawyers that worked with Kaia are ready to bring similar lawsuits against police forces across Africa and beyond, but they need funding to do it. We won’t process pledges until we reach our goal, but if just 30,000 of us pledge a small amount now, we can repeat this game-changing victory in other countries, remind police that rape is a crime, and take a powerful step forward against the global war on women:

Click to pledge what you can — we’ll process your contribution only if we hit our goal of 30,000 donors.

When Kaia’s story began, she looked set to become just another of the countless victims of child rape ignored by the police. But Kenyan child rights advocate Mercy Chidi and Canadian human rights lawyer Fiona Sampson joined forces to challenge this injustice in the courts.

The plan was hatched in Kenya by a group of colleagues from Canada, Kenya, Malawi and Ghana — it seemed like a long shot to sue the police force for failing to act, but they stuck with it and took risks… and made legal history. The work has just begun: like any win, it takes time, effort and money to make sure the ruling sticks, and to use it as a springboard to wipe out violence against women.

If we raise enough, here’s how we could turn a huge victory for Kenya into a win for countries across Africa and even the rest of the world:

* help fund more cases like this, across Africa and around the world
* use hard-hitting campaign strategies to make sure these groundbreaking judgments are enforced
* push for massive, effective public education campaigns that strike at the root of sexual violence and help erase it for good
respond to more campaign opportunities like this case — with super smart strategies that turn the tide in the war on women.

Click to pledge what you can to start this important work right away — we won’t process any contributions unless we hit our goal of 30,000 donors.

As citizens, we often appeal to political leaders and other officials to get serious about protecting women’s rights. It’s important to keep doing that, but when they fail to hear their consciences, we need to appeal to their interests, and take them to court. That sends a powerful message: not only that there are new consequences for their crimes, but that the era of unchallenged misogyny in the culture of our societies is coming to end.

With hope,

Ricken, Maria Paz, Emma, Oli, Nick, Allison, Luca and the rest of the Avaaz team

* Kaia is a pseudonym, but her story is real. She is not pictured here.

From Poverty to Entrepreneur

Dear Gabriel

There’s an amazing group of women you’re not supposed to know about. Rising from outcasts to community leaders, hundreds of thousands of empowered women are changing the course of business history – of world history. These entrepreneurs are breaking the chains of poverty and oppression. Today, FINCA invites you to join them in shaping a new future.

Many commercial banks refuse to give these women access to credit or any other financial services, but FINCA knows they are as capable of running successful businesses as men. We also know that women are more likely to repay their loans on time. By providing this credit, FINCA is fueling a revolutionary approach to ending poverty.

Our faith in women productively managing their loans and businesses is leading to thousands of newly EMPOWERED women.

Time and time again, our clients tell us that our faith in them has led to economic independence and a sense of dignity and pride never experienced before. This new self-esteem transforms women’s power relationships, resulting in greater respect from their husbands and children, and enabling them to become leaders in their communities.

One measure of the sense of empowerment our clients feel can be found in the heightened sense of self-determination they have reported to us in the surveys we have conducted with them:

94% of FINCA Malawi clients interviewed felt able or mostly able to make important decisions on their own that could change the course of their lives.

90% of FINCA clients in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan felt able or mostly able to make important decisions on their own.

By supporting FINCA today you can empower women to shape futures free from poverty for themselves and their children. Please give generously. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Vice President,
New Business Development
FINCA.org