Today I had a perfectly fantastic meeting with a women's group here in Sarajevo called Žene Ženema (˝women to women˝) that provides direct support to women, but also is involved with the empowerment and funding of other women's groups, local organizations, and smaller NGOs. They are working on a number of projects, but focusing on the implementation of human rights laws such as the Geneva Convention and specifically making sure that women's human rights are respected at every level of society in BiH.
I showed them my book (unfortunately I don't have anymore to give out and I had to borrow the copy I had already given Sarah to show to people!) and they were really impressed. It seems to really open doors because the book shows the comittment I have to the issue. The woman, Theresa, whom I met with asked me to send her a copy and I wil definitely do that. It is still somewhat shocking that people actually WANT to read it!
I also have improved at not spitting out all my ideas in the first minutes of a meeting (although often the first question they ask is: ˝what do you want?˝). So this has drastically improved the quality of my meetings, because even though they are asking, they don't always want to hear it before they have a chance to get to know me. So we talked for a good long time before I pulled out the book and we talked about many things before we talked about the subject of rape. It is much better this way.
Tomorrow Sarah and I (and our translator, Lejla) will take the bus to Zenica which is about 2 hours north of Sarajevo and have a meeting with a women's clinic there. Then we will sleepover there in a hotel or something (there aren't really hostels in that part of the country) and the next day we will take another bus to Tuzla (about 3 nours north of Sarajevo and about 2 hours east of Zenica) to meet with women's groups there. It is so wonderful to have Lejla with us, because she makes everything easier, from ordering lemonade to getting fertility statistics from the Federal Statistics office (which she and Sarah did this morning while I watched crappy TV).
In some ways, I wish I could stay longer, but at the same time I feel ready to come home. This has been an incredible trip!
Monday, July 23, 2007
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About Me
- Ruby Reid, MSW
- I am currently pursuing a PhD in Social Welfare at Berkeley, concentrating in local, national and international responses to large-scale disasters, wars, and genocide. To me, social work is not a job. It is a way of life, a faith, and a daily practice. My mother is a social worker and I was instilled with social work values as a young child. I carry those values of respect and compassion for other human beings, the importance of service and integrity, and these values lead me to endorse Barack Obama for President of the United States. Barack Obama represents a new and positive vision for the future of America. He is honest, hard-working, and unafraid to face the nuanced and complex problems of our country and our interconnected world. I am proud to support a candidate who will truly bring change for the American people and for all members of the world community.
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