Update to the post below: We did it!
We managed to raise enough money between us all to send Ismatu to university on Monday.
(This will go to their general fund as they are waiting for grants to be approved. This is an older fundraiser that I created but you can still donate here!)
together we raised over 90% of the yearly fees including everything due on Monday 2/5/2024.
It has been a pleasure to see all the energy behind this support for Ismatu.
I think many of us are world weary and it is refreshing to be a part of something so good.
So that is the update! A happy ending.
My previous post is below in case you missed it and have no idea what I am talking about lol or who Ismatu is.
This is a big deal. We are all so amazingly powerful, don’t forget you can do more than you even know you can!
Xo
—
I was on the phone last year with an amazing young girl from Sierra Leone.
She told me that she used to be scared.
Ismatu is her name–
She said as a young, Muslim, indigenous girl, it was scary to visit communities where she knew no one.
But she wanted to talk to the women there.
She wanted to talk to them about traditions that hurt women like FGM, and why it must stop.
Over 90% of women there have already gone through FGM.
She wants to change the cycle.
So even though it was scary and uncomfortable, Ismatu had a mission to help women and girls.
So she kept going. That fear did not stop her.
Where she is from 90% of women cannot read a sentence.
Not only did she finish high school,
but she won a regional high school debate on the topic,
“Why Girls Deserve an Education.”
We want to see her succeed.
We want to see her shine brighter.
We want to see a girl like her, blooming out of rough soil, show everyone in her country what girls can do.
We want to amplify her voice.
I am a part of a movement to support girls and women in Sierra Leone,
in a place where it is not unusual to marry girls as young as 8,
and to require FGM of all women.
It never heals right. It’s awful.
Over 50% of women are scared of their husbands.
Don’t get me started on the rates of women who believe violence is deserved.
Sexual assault of minors is so common,
it’s been declared a national emergency.
WE NEED A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE
What better person to lead a movement of change than a girl, like Ismatu?
There is a Problem and an Opportunity
We believe in Ismatu.
But this brilliant, rare girl, doesn’t have $500 USD to go to university.
I just found out that she needs it by Monday, Feb 5.
AND I THINK WE CAN DO IT
WE CAN HELP HER KEEP GOING ON HER MISSION.
To end FGM, violence against women and ensure a good future for all girls.
How?
If 17 amazing souls donate $25 –
that’s $425 right there.
I can donate the rest ($100).
That will cover her schooling and the fees to get it to her.
But it has to happen by Monday.
The good news is some people have already raised their hand.
Me + them = $400 pledged.
$125 to go.
We just need 5 more volunteers to send her $25.
Are you one of them?
Do you want to help us ease the path of this gorgeous soul who wants to advocate for girls and women?
So she can be a shining example to them all?
God, I want to see that.
(Note: This fundraiser has ended! But you can send donations anytime to this fundraiser to Her Future Foundation, the nonprofit advocating for girls like Ismatu.
Put your money in girl power.
DONATION LINK:
Donate to Her Future Foundation
Thank you + please spread the word,
you can forward this email or
This video is also on facebook.
Even if you can’t donate, it would help if you commented, liked or share this video on facebook
Thanks!!
