From Niger

I would like to dedicate this blog to Annette Frost who has been working with the Peace Corps in Niamey, Niger for the last two years. She is my cousin’s oldest daughter and doesn’t really know me that well, but enthusiastically agreed to create Traveling Postcards with her community. She has been living in West Africa since 2008 and has a fabulous blog chronicling her work. http://thisispeacecorpsinniger.blogspot.com/ We have been getting to know each other primarily through Face book (and me reading her blog)! Here is a little of her story and please note how incredibly impressed and in awe I am of this strong, intelligent and beautiful woman and the work she is doing. I am also so proud to have received 24 handmade postcards from the young women in her village. The cards are cut from cardboard and covered with beautiful African fabric. Each card has an expression of hope and support for the women of the Congo. Traveling Postcards is eager to collect women’s voices from all over the world. Cards that are received will be collected, archived, exhibited and then given away. If you know of anyone working to empower women in their communities, please tell them about Traveling Postcards and the opportunity to share their wisdom with women all over the world!

From Annette:

“I run group de jeune femmes in my village and we basically discuss ways in which poor rural women can help themselves when they are not being offered outside assistance. My girls are all unmarried students between age 15-18. Many still do not have great writing skills. I tried to translate some of what was written on the backs of the cards. We used the resources available to us in a project aimed to make people realize that they are never alone in their suffering, and that there are woman all over the world experiencing all sorts of hardship. Niger has been ranked at times the world's poorest country, and most hard to live in on the UN index. These girls know essentially this and it is helpful to know they aren't the only ones. When I asked what they thought some of the hardships American women faced were, they laughed and said Americans don't know hardship. We took the time to talk about all sorts of woman all over the world and the struggles they face, and what women can do to help themselves stay above these struggles. After that we made these postcards to send a message of continuing strength and support to the women of Congo, and as a message of unity among African women.

Hope they arrive safely. Cheers, Annette.”

Resiliency

It is with great sadness that I learned of Eve Ensler’s cancer, but I have great faith in her resiliency. Eve is an extraordinary woman who will continue to be a force of compassionate action for women all over the world. We are all better off from her years of selfless work and she continues to motivate me to try and heal the suffering of so many women the best way I know how. ..as an artist.

I would like to reach out to all women and encourage you to share the wisdom in your hearts. Traveling Postcards is offering you an opportunity to make a difference in the world by simply expressing your hard earned knowledge in a card. Your life experiences matter. We are working towards gathering your voices…all of them! We want to exhibit your thoughts and your wisdom in a collective showing of creative strength. All Traveling Postcards that are received will be archived and placed on our website.

Over the next several years we will be traveling and exhibiting your work so that everyone can see what we know to be true and powerful…our collective wisdom as women. Please make a card either individually or with a favorite group of friends and send them to me. I will care for them all.

I will keep you updated on the changes and growing movement of Traveling Postcards and I encourage you to contact me with your ideas , your experiences and the wisdom in your heart. Thank you

For those of you who want more insights from Eve Ensler please click on this link. The Guardian

Gratitude

Traveling Postcards has the profound pleasure to announce that within the last several months, we have received over 100 new cards! These handmade cards will travel to the women and girls who will be living in the City of Joy in Bukavu. It is with so much gratitude that I have received each and every card and it is with that same love, compassion and commitment to healing that these cards will be received.

I have word that the City of Joy will open either late this year or early 2011. Until then, I will gladly continue to accept cards for the women in Congo. It is my hope that by connecting to our sisters all over the world through creative action, we have connected from our hearts and our actions will ease suffering. What is the most loving thing we can do right now? Take care of yourself, slow down, build deeper relationships with those you love, and find a way to open your heart.

Traveling Postcards and the commitment to bringing awareness and healing to women whose life experiences demand humanitarian action will create a new chapter in creative action beginning in June! Stay tuned and as usual I welcome new ideas and new destinations for creative healing. In the meantime look to the to the website for continuous postings of the new and beautiful artwork that is streaming in! Please add your voice!

With gratitude…