Sheryl Wudunn
A major focus of my life and ministry is to challenge women to believe God for the more He wants to do in and through their lives. I write and speak about this a lot.
But for many women in our world, they can’t think about potential and becoming all they can be. All they can think about is survival.
I have had the privilege, on several occasions, to meet and listen to Sheryl WuDunn of Half the Sky tell stories about the realities for women in many parts of the world. The research she and her co-author husband, Nick Kristoff, did on the atrocities and oppression of women around the globe was devastating and hopeful.
The subtitle of their book is Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.
When I spoke in Ethiopia recently I recounted the story of a woman who was left to die by her family because a fistula disabled her and the stench was unbearable to others. She crawled to another village with a missionary hospital, had the fistula repaired, met Jesus, finished school, went on to become a doctor and returned to start a fistula hospital.
You can hear Sheryl on Ted here:
18 min
On Wednesday I will post a fascinating video interview of Carolyn Custis James, author of Half the Church, and Chai Ling, Chinese activist and founder of All Girls Allowed.
What about you? How can you help turn oppression into opportunity?
c2012Judy Douglass
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Kindling 
I read this passage and was pondering it immediately before reading your post:
“Isn’t it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You’re more alive, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible.” ~ 2 Cor 7:12 Msg
Thanks for showing that HOPE is all tied up with oppression and injustice. Excellent message.
With God, there is hope.
Judy, sometimes it is hard for me to wrap my belief about stories like these. How can this be possible? However, I am reminded that we are broken people and hope is all we have. The most common way I turn oppression into opportunity is donating to buy chickens or ducks to an aid society in hopes that someone’s life is turned around. Yes, we have won the lottery of life by being born where life is honored and respected. And we discharge that responsibility by buying chickens and ducks. Somehow, that just doesn’t seem like enough, but it is what we have.
I so get what you are saying, Beth!
Thanks for posting this. I loved her book. This is the first time I’ve heard her speak live. Both challenging and inspirational.
She is really engaging one to one as well. Tells the stories well speaking and conversing.
I have and am learning so much from your advocacy for women, Judy! Thank you!
God’s daughters have so much to offer!
I just recently saw “Saving Face”, that Oscar-winning documentary about acid-victim women in Pakistan, and I remembered it while reading this. Sigh.
If anything at all, these kinds of news about the realities of other women should at least give us something to be grateful for.
Thankful, but moved to make a difference however we can.