FYI this post may be a bit triggering.
Something very important is brewing
I’m going to tell you more in the next 48 hours…
But here’s why it matters so much to me.
Growing up I received many messages as a young girl,
that my thoughts and feelings did not matter.
I was subject to emotional abuse from one of my legal guardians for 10 years which has had devastating effects on me.
The worst part was that no one noticed.
When I tried to speak up, no one heard me.
Maybe it was denial.
Most of it was my word against theirs, and adults doubted my perception.
Maybe it was the belief that little girls should listen and obey adults–who always know better and want the best for them.
“It’s tough love. You’ll understand when you are older.”
As a result of this lack of belief and much gaslighting, I came to doubt my experience.
Was this toxic?
Was this bad treatment?
Did I know what I was talking about?
That’s really the most heart breaking thing to me in the end–that I stopped believing in myself 100%.
That is so damaging.
Unfortunately, this is what happens when girls don’t feel like they matter.
And it happens all the time.
My story is not that unique.
But luckily for me, I found a way to empower myself.
I discovered writing everyday, as I shared recently.
The power of writing helped me hear myself think. To believe my feelings again.
Ouch means ouch. Fear means stop. Anger means I need boundaries.
Writing is my way to stop gaslighting myself, day by day.
THIS IS WHY I want everyone to know the power of writing.
When you write things down or even dictate them, it’s a lot easier to figure out just about anything.
I wish I could go back in time, pull that little girl version of me aside and tell her that
what you think and feels does indeed matter,
you matter.
To tell her that she is cared for, that she will be ok because I am here to keep her safe–
however,
I cannot LITERALLY go back in time and stop my own childhood abuse before it ever happened…
It’s not physically possible.
But what I can do is say to another girl:
YOU MATTER.
Maybe you’ve had these negative messages, too, and you know how important this message is for young girls to hear [FIRST NAME GOES HERE]:
GIRLS MATTER.
And that’s why I’m so passionate about working with an organization called Her Future Foundation.
It is an nonprofit in Sierra Leone dedicated to empowering girls and ending abuses like FGM (female genital mutilation).
In that country over 80% go through FGM, and it mostly happens to girls under 16, but even as young as 8.
There is no anesthesia, it’s not done by doctors.
It can really mess a girl up.
Girls don’t have much of a choice because if they say no, often parents completely abandon them, refusing to give them shelter or food.
Out on their own, they end up vulnerable to sexual assault and other things.
To protect girls from irreversible harm to their most vulnerable and private areas is so essential and basic that I can’t think of any better cause–
ending the myths that parents and communities believe in that makes them force this on girls.
While there are many large things going on in the world, a lot take gazillions of dollars and years to solve.
This is something I truly believe that everyday people can make a huge impact on right now.
Last year we worked together to raise almost $2000 in different fundraisers for Her Future Foundation, which helped them gain NGO status and helped the founder survive a medical emergency.
This organization Her Future Foundation has been working since 2014 to empower girls.
They are part of a movement that is working.
Last year, the New York Times wrote that girls in Sierra Leone are pushing back against FGM.
The percentage of girls receiving FGM has begun decreasing.
The work on this cause is gaining ground and it’s the time to keep pushing forward!
To me, taking a stand for this cause is powerful and healing.
I want to share that feeling with you and invite you to take part.
Together we can support local activists and stop FGM.
If it helps even one girl, what a difference it will make in her life.
In the next couple days I’ll be sharing how you can help.
Together we can end FGM so more little girls can feel like they matter in this big, wild world.
Please keep an eye out for the official announcement in the next 48 hours or join my newsletter hear to get the announcement by email.
