Who Am I? A Prayer for all Women        Author: Elizabeth Tapia I am a woman I am alive I am struggling I am hoping I am created in the image of God just like all other people in the world; I am a person with worth and dignity. I am a thinking person, a feeling person, a doing person. I am the small I am that stands before the great I AM. I am a worker who is constantly challenged, faced with the needs of the church and society and the global community. I am angered by the structures and powers that create all forms of oppression, exploitation and degradation. I am a witness to the moans, tears, banners and clenched fists of my people. I can hear their liberating songs, their hopeful prayers and decisive march toward justice and freedom. I believe that all of us, women and men, young and old, Christian and non-Christian are called upon to do responsible action; to be concerned to be involved NOW! I am hoping I am struggling I am alive I am a woman. Indicators Target 3a: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015 3.1 Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education 3.2 Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector 3.3 Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament Did You Know? Of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty around the world, 70% are women. (Source: World Revolution) Women do about 66% of the world's work in return for less than 5% of its income. (Source: Women's International Network) In the least developed countries nearly twice as many women over age 15 are illiterate compared to men. (Source: UNFPA) Two-thirds of children denied primary education are girls, and 75% of the world’s 876 million illiterate adults are women.   (Source: AskWoman) Suggested Lesson 1          Research the practice of microfinancing What do you know about microfinancing?  Is this one more way of empowering women and helping them to achieve gender equality?   Microfinance for African Women Food Farmers Overview The African Woman Food Farmer Initiative (AWFFI) microfinance program is designed to address the critical missing link for the end of hunger in Africa: the economic empowerment of Read More Suggested Lesson 2 Read about how women can become agents of change…. Gender Equality www.thp.org ~ ~ ~ Empower women End poverty and hunger