One woman’s life lived in service touches many lives yet to be born in places she will never see. One woman changes the world. What about three?
Every person wants to be relevant. Every person wants to make a ripple in the waters of life (and sometimes a full-on tidal wave). Wanting is not the same as doing. This writing is in dedication to the doers.
While doing something monumental is not actually required to live a life in service to Good, I am honored to know people who have said yes to a larger calling and whom, in spite of fear, are saying “yes” to being agents of change and leading the way. There are many of them all over the world, but I am going to focus on just these two for now. Tshering and Madalene.
In a country that often times can feel a little too self-righteous, individualistic, and overly singularly focused on it’s own existence, it can be easy to forget (or even to believe) that there are smart, driven, courageous people living in all corners of this world who are actively working for a better tomorrow for all. I am here to tell you that they are there and now they are here. I could not be more thrilled!
For four months, I have the honor of hosting two incredible women from two other far corners of our world. Tshering from Bhutan and Madalene from Zambia. East Asia and the Southern region of Africa. Two places that most Americans will never see, visit, or think about when they think about women working for a better world. Do you know where these countries are? Google them. I’ll wait here until you get back.
Both women have started non-profits in their own countries to help women learn how to start businesses and how to raise themselves and future generations from poverty. They are focused on preserving culture, putting in place practices to support sustainability for our planet, and creating a more equitable and safer world for women and children not only in their countries, but beyond. Not only for their own families, but for generations of families across communities.
These women are brave and determined. They joined a program that allowed them to spend four months working abroad without pay in order to learn and connect and plan. They travelled half way around the globe to spend four months in the company of people they had never met, working with successful organizations where they could contribute and learn. They left their families, their husbands, their children in order to submerge themselves in leadership growth. Their growth is happening quickly and profoundly and they will return stronger, connected, and with a deeper understanding and education to benefit their efforts and expand their impact. The difference they will make will be rooted in more than passion and purpose, it will be backed by a larger network and knowledge than before.
They are part of IREX.ORG and are working directly as my team members at NAWBO.ORG for four months. They came here to learn, and as they fulfill their objectives, they are doing something even bigger; they are expanding everyone that they work with. We are learning together. We are expanding each other. We are all learning and something we have learned the most is that we are not the United States. We are not Bhutan. We are not Zambia. We are One World.
We come from three corners of the world, and we share one heart. We want a better world for our children; our children of the world. We are One World Women and we are making a difference together.
