DRC: “I will cherish [your friendship] forever”

Dear Irene,

Warm greetings to you and to your family!  I hope all is well with you.  As for us, we are currently doing well but the future is God’s secret.

I am so happy to have you as my sponsor sister. I feel blessed to have had you in my life. Your friendship has meant a great deal to me and I will cherish it forever.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself.  My name is Riziki.  I am 30 years old.  I was born in Bagira Zone, in Bukavu town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  I am a singer and belong to a protestant church that we call 5th CELPA/Philadelphia.  My husband loves God as well.  My oldest daughter is a singer as well.  She is 6 years old and is in the 1st grade.  The second is a boy of 3 years old and the third is a boy of one year.  I also take care of two orphans.  We live by God’s grace because we are facing many challenges in our country.

I know Kiswahili and French. I like cooking different recipes. I want to learn English and guitar. I like religious music because it comforts me so much. Our culture is different from yours. Divorce is not allowed in our tradition. Once one gets married, he/she must endure all the difficulties that he/she face in the household. Only death will separate you.

…My husband’s name is Mbisso that means attic/garret.  My name is Riziki that means blessing or wealth.  Our kids’ names are: Binga, Robin, and Louange.

Every day when I get up, I make a short prayer, then I get my kid ready for school, clean the house, wash dishes, make lunch and provide food for my family. After eating, I go to the market to buy food for the evening meal. Once I am back from the market, I start cooking then we gather for food. After eating we pray together and read the bible. My husband and I teach our kids God’s words then we go to bed.

My God bless you for your good deeds.

Sincerely yours,

Riziki

Letter Quotes: Nigeria, Rwanda, DRC, Kosova, and Bosnia

“The cool breeze of the wet night sang across my window, singing in my heart, looking for you. A joyful spoonful of smile, the multiplication of joy and addition of above that I have decided to write you this today. But before I will proceed, I must ask of your health, your daughter’s health (Marie) and your son (Brian) with an optimistic that you are all majestically swimming in the oceans of life if so praise to God.” –Cecilia from Nigeria

“I am married. I have a husband and we have five children all are boys. I am the one caring for the children alone their father does not care for them. Before your sponsorship I was always in worried thinking of how to raise my children and I could not get the answer but now I have no problem. I go to the market buy a full sack of beans and sell them for profit which is helping me to buy my needs. Thank you very much.” –Marie Joseé from Rwanda

“When my husband chased me, he told me that I’ll become a street woman but when I was admitted in the Women for Women program, my life began to improve. Through the financial help you are giving me, I paid the school fees for my two studying children and had my house built, till now I no longer get wet when it rains. I also learned much from the instructions and was comforted. I’m sure that even after graduation I will go on selling local beer and get money. I’m saving money, when I will get a considerable amount, I will bring it to the cooperative bank. My children will go on studying and that man will be confused. I was illiterate but now I know to read and write my name.” –Emerciane from the DRC

“The letter I received from you I liked it very much and made me feel very good form the fact that this letter came from a country which gave a big contribution for the freedom of my country which we and our families enjoy today in Kosova. Even though the war had brought us many human losses and material losses our people of Kosova have made it and are challenging this high economic crisis. The program of Women for Women is a very good program that enables many women to take part and learn things about the daily life. Also for me the chance was given to me to participate in this program and learn many things. I am currently learning about “Business Administration” which I dreamed for so many years…. The learning of business administration is a learning that I truly love because I want to be able to administrate a business. This learning will maybe enable me or other women to find a job and support our children.” –Imrane from Kosova

“Dear sister, you asked do I have traumas from the war. Of course I have. I was in a refugee camp. Organization “Women for Women” is good cure for that. Dear sister, I’m writing you and I’m crying. Even if you’re far from me, I feel like I know all my life. I wish that no one ever feel the war on the skin. I hope your new president Barack Obama will bring peace to the world and that no one will cry.” –Zekira from Bosnia

Letter Quotes: Rwanda, DRC, and Bosnia

“Thank you very much for your love and commitment you have committed for helping me to a better life. I have been receiving your messages with much pleasure and it has been very useful to me and my problems have almost reduced. I am selling dried cassava and cassava flour and I am getting some profit which is helping me and my family…. I am also thanking women from this program who are delivering your messages to us. They are doing it with a good heart and they have been teaching us. May God bless you all.” –Clotilde from Rwanda

“I’d like to tell you that I got good instructions at Women for Women. What interested me more is the topic about women and family law. When I learned these instructions, I was released and very happy to discover my right in the family. I was glad to learn about 3 types of food for a good health. We also learned about breeding. I’m now breeding guinea-pigs. I’m getting fertilizer from them and they are enabling me to pay school fees for my children. I thank you for all these instructions because they are changing my life positively, even my children are well keeping.” –Francine from DRC

“For those three months since I am in this program, my life is completely fulfilled. Thanks to you, I met many new friends. I decided to take a course in knitting which will be useful for my future because I will be able to earn something by this…. Last five years were so hard for me in my life because of family and health problems. Now I hope that this is behind me. All in all, this organization “Women for Women International” will take and mark one year as very important in my life. I consider that I am braver and have bigger self-confidence. I am also feeling healthier for now. I wish you all the best and lots of health in your life” –Sida from Bosnia

“Thank you very much because I am no longer very lonely. I am meeting my fellow friends who we are exchanging ideas. From this program I have learned a lot of things which are very important like the lesson of building yourself and how to live with others well and peacefully and how e should live a better life with good health and so many others. Now we have formed a cooperative which grows pineapples and keeping some domestic animals. Our pineapples are still very young but looking healthy. We are also building where we are going to keep our animals which is also very nice.” –Clotilde from Rwanda

“Now I’m going to tell you something about what I want in my life. I’d like to have a job. My dream is to have my own textile trade, because I’m good in trade. I hope your financial support will help me with my dream. I’m saving your money, and later I’ll try something. In advance, thank you. Who knows, maybe my dream will come true.” –Nusreta from Bosnia

“Thank you very much for your love and commitment you have committed for helping me to a better life.  I have been receiving your messages with much pleasure and it has been very useful to me and my problems have almost reduced.  I am selling dried cassava and cassava flour and I am getting some profit which is helping me and my family….  I am also thanking women from this program who are delivering your messages to us.  They are doing it with a good heart and they have been teaching us.  May God bless you all.” –Clotilde from Rwanda

“I’d like to tell you that I got good instructions at Women for Women.  What interested me more is the topic about women and family law.  When I learned these instructions, I was released and very happy to discover my right in the family.  I was glad to learn about 3 types of food for a good health.  We also learned about breeding.  I’m now breeding guinea-pigs.  I’m getting fertilizer from them and they are enabling me to pay school fees for my children.  I thank you for all these instructions because they are changing my life positively, even my children are well keeping.” –Francine from DRC

“For those three months since I am in this program, my life is completely fulfilled.  Thanks to you, I met many new friends.  I decided to take a course in knitting which will be useful for my future because I will be able to earn something by this….  Last five years were so hard for me in my life because of family and health problems.  Now I hope that this is behind me.  All in all, this organization “Women for Women International” will take and mark one year as very important in my life.  I consider that I am braver and have bigger self-confidence.  I am also feeling healthier for now.  I wish you all the best and lots of health in your life” –Sida from Bosnia

“Thank you very much because I am no longer very lonely.  I am meeting my fellow friends who we are exchanging ideas.  From this program I have learned a lot of things which are very important like the lesson of building yourself and how to live with others well and peacefully and how e should live a better life with good health and so many others.  Now we have formed a cooperative which grows pineapples and keeping some domestic animals.  Our pineapples are still very young but looking healthy.  We are also building where we are going to keep our animals which is also very nice.” –Clotilde from Rwanda

“Now I’m going to tell you something about what I want in my life.  I’d like to have a job.  My dream is to have my own textile trade, because I’m good in trade.  I hope your financial support will help me with my dream.  I’m saving your money, and later I’ll try something.  In advance, thank you.  Who knows, maybe my dream will come true.” –Nusreta from Bosnia

Letter Quotes: Nigeria, Iraq, Rwanda, and DRC

“I was very happy to be a member of this wonderful organization Women for Women for its great impact in my life. For long ago we had been deprived our right in community as women, but glory be to God who put his idea of introducing Women for Women program…. The program is contributing immensely in development of my community such as social amenities like good road, electricity and good water, peace and justice etc.” –Evelyn from Nigeria

“I would like to congratulate you for the new job and for the publishing of your book. I really wish to be like you but here in Iraq we do not have complete freedom in terms of work and cultural activities. …I am happy for you because you are achieving what you want, and I agree with you that lessons are important to open our minds. I attend many lectures.” –Awatif from Iraq

“Sending my greetings to my sponsor sister, I am from future generation who will raise this country that suffer from destruction but with God will the sun rise again in my country and the flowers will blossom because I love flowers. All my thanks and appreciation for your financial support to the Iraqi woman in this circumstance; I did a lot of things with this amount.” –Abeer from Iraq

“I thank you very much for your support. I have been able to start up a small business dealing in selling tomatoes and nuts. This has enabled me to support my family. You have helped me to realize my dreams.” –Julienne from Rwanda

“As for the training, I like it so much and I am very happy with the topic about women’s rights and DRC constitution. Thanks to this topic, I am now aware of the fact that a woman has also the right to inherit her father’s properties, but in the past I knew nothing of all that.” –Baderhekuguma from DRC

“I am very happy with the training I am getting at Women for Women International. Thanks to it, I am now aware of my rights as a woman. Also, I am very pleased with the topics about basic business and marketing skills and how to live harmoniously with my husband. In the past, I know nothing about the selling activity but today I am informed of how to buy goods at wholesale, and how to sell successfully. I am selling soaps.” –Yvette from  DRC

“The topic which has already interested me much so far is job opportunities for women. Before I joined this program, I did not know that a woman can survive thanks to her connection with other women of her community, but today I am informed of all that. I am really very happy with the changes that my life is undergoing thanks to Women for Women International.” –Furaha from DRC

Letter Quotes: Rwanda, DRC, and a sponsor

Rwanda:

“I was so pleased with your support in that whenever I think about you, I look at it and kiss it. This makes me so happy. Thierry also knows that he has a person who loves him and sent him birds; he always tells me that we should come to visit you, but I tell him that it’s not possible and show him the picture.” —Jeanne Marie

“What one can say is that about the genocide effects; am an orphan and lost almost all my relatives. What hurts me the most is that I didn’t have any chance to go to school like other children. Because the one who could have taken care of me wasn’t there; and this brings me great sorrow. But now we are living in total peace and security and unity with people who killed our families.” —Olive

“Embrey I love you soooo much!!!! Because you improved my life from deep poverty and now am doing well, and my children have enough they need for school; they have no problem; they have uniform, books, pens and shoes, they have no problem. Even the one who is in high school, we are looking for his needs and soon we shall get them, no problem. This is all because of you Embrey!” —Donatha

“I am very thankful for what you have sending, on another hand I was very sad when I learnt that you don’t have a child, if that was God’s plan there is nothing else you can do about it. I thought that if would be possible I would give you one of my children, and you stay with her, so that when you come back home you find someone at home, when you go for work you leave someone at home. But again where shall we meet and talk about it?” —Fatuma

DRC:

“I’d like to tell you that there were many things that I learned and which is too interesting for me, such as women’s rights and DRC constitution; I didn’t know that a woman can speak in front of many people, that she has the right of being educated as a man.” —Jeanne

From a sponsor:

“I am so happy to get your letter…. I am ashamed that I did not send you letters. In the past month I have had some troubles—I lost my job and I had to move away from the town where I lived, and away from my family…. I thought of you many times when I was afraid and lonely. I thought: Noella has troubles too, and she has the courage to face them. I can do the same. So you have helped me, even though you are far away and we have never met.” —Nichelle

Excerpts from a letter from the DRC

My dear friend,

Receive my warm greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!  I am a 36 year old widowed mother of seven children and also care for 3 relatives.  I rent a small house of a single room and a living room.  As an income generation, I sell cassava flour, charcoal and used shoes.  I also put some designs on bed sheets (kind of embroidery).  My housing conditions are very poor: the rented house is about to collapse with leaking roof and doors that can easily be moved even without any effort.

I am grateful for having such a loving and wonderful friend who is ready to know and share my life experience including good and hard times.  Thank you for your devotion to me and to other women all over the world.  I never thought or dreamt of having a friend but God is good.  Through your support, I will receive different job skills and will broaden my knowledge.  Thank you a lot for the sponsorship fund I am receiving.  I will be praying God to bless you and give you a long life.

Yours,

Josephine, DRC

DRC: “[I have] become a real woman contrary to what I was in the past”

Dear Terry,

Hello! How are you doing?

I wish you a good and long life full of peace, success, and job. May God bless you endlessly for your tenderness and commitment to help me improving my living conditions. Thanks to your financial support, my children are well dressed, well fed, and one of them is attending school. Though the WWI program us over I am sure that the lessons that I have learned will help me strengthen my income generating activities. In fact, as I have become a petty trader, I will apply the business techniques that I learned in the WWI program.

Many thanks to you!

Yours Truly, Chantal

—-

Dearest friend Katie,

Receive warmest greetings from you friend.

The very recent news over here is that of the earthquake that occurred here. As for my training, from the program, I am learning basic business skills because I though these skills I [learn] will help me better my situation and that of my family.

The training will be over in March, I hope that even after the graduating I will be conducting on petty trade to increase my economic level. The training I have received has helped [me] become a real woman contrary to what I was in the past; before I joined the program.

I would like to end this letter by wishing you long life. May God protect you and give you long life.

Yours, Aimerance