Usually we are talking about the work of the rangers on this blog and for good reason, as they are the ones putting their lives at risk for the vital protection of this precious but vulnerable park. However, today we are going to focus on the women in the rangers’ lives, as behind every great man is a great woman. It is the support that these women give their husbands and children on a daily basis that help them go on to achieve great things in life.
Thursday March 8th is International Women’s day and we would like to raise $600 to contribute towards the celebrations to recognise all the work that the women of ICCN have done to support our rangers over the years. There are about 160 women living within the 3 main stations of the park who will benefit from this contribution.
To the top-right of this post, you can choose the amount to donate in the drop-down menu below the barometer, and click the red “Donate” button which will take you to Paypal. You can pay there by various methods, including credit cards.
The money raised will be used to purchase supplies for the celebrations including beautiful traditional Congolese material that is used to make matching outfits for the women, who will wear them with pride and as a symbol of unity while singing and dancing together throughout the day.
Women all around the world face many hardships, but the women of Congo have seen more than their fair share in recent years, including events that have unfortunately led to DRCongo being labelled the rape capital of the world.
Despite these hardships I have been amazed by the grace that these women always carry themselves with. Like birds of paradise they fill the land with colour and beauty when wearing the bright fabrics synonymous with this country. They work extremely hard in their daily lives but are quick to laugh and sing with such intensity it can only be described as infectious. International Women’s day is a chance for the women of DRCongo to commemorate all the positive aspects of women, to celebrate what they have achieved and to show that they are unified together.
By donating something towards this event we can let the women of ICCN know that we are forever grateful for their vital support of our rangers of the past, present and no doubt in the future too.