Showing posts with label Domestic Violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Domestic Violence. Show all posts

June 5, 2023

Strategies to Empower Women to Emerge from Economic Instability

Empowering women to emerge from economic instability involves providing them with resources and opportunities. Following are some strategies that can help:
  1. Access to education and skill-building programs that equip women with knowledge and skills that can expand their employment opportunities and income potential.
  2. Financial literacy and entrepreneurship training to enable women to start their businesses, pursue economic ventures, and make informed financial decisions.

  3. Facilitate women's access to credit and capital through community-based grants and lending initiatives to allow women to invest in their ideas, ventures, and income-generating activities.

  4. Provide mentorship, networking opportunities, and career, professional, and workforce development services to help women build skills and gain confidence to build, transition, or advance in their careers.

  5. Foster networks and community support systems that connect women with mentors, peers, and resources for guidance, encouragement, and access to new opportunities.

  6. Encourage companies to promote and create supportive working environments that value and prioritize gender and wage equality, flexible work arrangements, family-friendly policies, and opportunities for career progression.

  7. Advocate for policies and legal reforms to protect women's rights, including laws against discrimination and harassment in the workplace, maternity leave policies, and access to social safety nets.

Empowering women to create pathways to economic stability for themselves and their families requires systemic changes and collaboration across diverse sectors, addressing barriers, creating supportive environments, and providing women with the tools and resources they need to thrive economically.

June 1, 2023

Situational Poverty

As a society, we must ensure that every individual has the opportunity to thrive and prosper. It's disheartening to see how women struggling with situational poverty face significant challenges that hold them back from achieving financial stability. Whether it's due to job loss, illness, or other unforeseen circumstances, these women require support to overcome these challenges.

Empowering women experiencing situational poverty is not only the ethical thing to do but is also crucial for the overall well-being of our society. When women achieve financial stability, they take care of their families, contribute to their communities, and pursue their aspirations, which leads to a more resilient society.

There are several ways to empower women experiencing situational poverty. One of the most effective strategies is to provide them access to education and training programs that help them develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in today's job market. It could include technical training, mentorship programs, or financial literacy classes.

Another essential strategy is to provide women with affordable childcare and other support services that enable them to balance the demands of work and family. This could range from after-school programs to transportation assistance to mental health services.

Ultimately empowering women experiencing situational poverty requires a multi-faceted approach that involves government, non-profit organizations, and the private sector working together to create a more equitable and just society. By investing in the economic well-being of women, we can build a brighter future for everyone.

June 23, 2017

The Truth Shall Make You Free

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

If the truth makes us free, why are so many of us bound? Are we bound because we haven't defined our truth? Bound because we live through the lens of people (i.e., their opinion) and not our values and beliefs? Bound because we govern our lives according to what we're told, which is contrary to who we are, or who we're striving to become.

No one knows us better than the One who created us. We were fearfully and wonderfully created in His image to glorify and honor Him in everything we say and do. If we're not living our lives to please God, are we neglecting His divine plan for our lives? And, if we're choosing to live according to the opinions, beliefs, and values of others, we're not living authentically. We're forfeiting our true divine freedom.

June 12, 2017

How We Get Here?

Having access to statistics about the status of women (especially minority) is great. However, it would be even better if women of color would use data to collaborate and harness their power to change the trajectory of the economic conditions that lingers among women of color.

Over the next few months, The SOFEI Group will host community forums addressing the question, How We Get Here? to discover the underlying causes that negatively impact the lives of women throughout the Washington region. We will seek and encourage input from the community-at-large, social change agents, politicians, spiritual leaders, and subject matter experts. Following are topics we will discuss during the forums:
  1. How We Get Here? – Why black women and their issues are ignored in politics? - Source: Status of Black Women in Politics
  2. How We Get Here? – Black women 16 years and over has experienced the highest unemployment rate among all other ethnic groups since 2007. - Source: The African American Labor Force in Recovery
  3. How We Get Here? – Black women are more likely to have children outside of marriage than other racial or ethnic groups. - Source: Congressional Research Service
  4. How We Get Here? – Women and Violence – 1 out of 5 women is sexually assaulted in college. Source: insidehighered.com
  5. How We Get Here? - Women Living with HIV and AIDS - Source: CDC.gov
  6. How We Get Here? - Women are 80 percent more likely than men to be impoverished in retirement. - Source: National Institute on Retirement
  7. How We Get Here? - Women of Color are more likely to suffer with depression. - Source: Huffingtonpost.com
Click here if you would like to join us as a speaker or panelist, and here as a community forum participant.

July 12, 2016

Equal, But Different

When women stop seeking validation and approval from men, their equity will grow. Some women dress seductively for men. Wear heels for the approval of men. Buy hair and make-up for men. Quit their jobs for men. Surrender their will to men who don't surrender their will to God. Live under the pretense that man knows what's best instead of God.

Should women who live subjectively to men expect equal treatment?

According to Genesis 1:26, God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and to let them have dominion over every living thing that creeps on the earth. And, according to Genesis 1:27, "God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

These verses share how God equally created men and women in His image to have dominion over the earth in our own distinctive roles. If women grasp hold of this knowledge, maybe women will seek equality through the Image of God instead of man.

November 3, 2015

Do you want to get well?

A fourteen year-old boy was stabbed to death in an effort to protect his mother from her live-in boyfriend. According to numerous sources, Prince George’s County has the highest rate of domestic violence cases in the state of Maryland; despite its recognition as one of the most affluent counties for African Americans.

The mother praised her son for his efforts to protect her when she spoke outside Potomac High School – where her son attended. She described her relationship with her live-in boyfriend as a friendship and stated, “I think sometimes you never think that helping someone will end up in this matter.” Our paraphrase, she never thought her efforts to help someone would result in her son’s death.

John Chapter 5 talks about a pool called Bethesda where sick people laid in wait for an angel to stir the pool water and whoever stepped in first would get healed from whatever disease they had. A man lying by the pool with an infirmity for thirty-eight years caught Jesus’ attention because He knew the infirmed man suffered with this condition for a long time. Jesus asked the infirmed man, “Do you want to be made well?” The infirmed man’s response, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

The debilitating health of many people lingers too long because of their beliefs and emotional strongholds. Unfortunately, many women fall prey to men who play victim of their inability to be fully engaged in society as a result of unhealed wounds or their choice to hold onto behaviors that contribute to violence. For thirty-eight years, the infirmed man waited for assistance to get in the pool of Bethesda. Jesus could have laid him in the pool, but instead, He told the man to, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” Immediately, the man was made well, he took up his bed, and he walked.

Too many women are dying by the hands of men who haven’t recognized their need to get healed. So, women please stop jeopardizing the safety and sanity of yourself and family in the name of love and salvation. You do not have the power to heal or save, but God does. And, his healing and salvation is available to anyone who needs and wants it.

October 23, 2014

We Plunged

Right into doing something we’ve never done before – host a Zumbathon® Charity Event! Since we’ve been out of the lime-light, we thought hosting a Zumbathon® would be a fun way to reconnect with friends and supporters, and make new ones.

We’ve supported Zumbathon® events to benefit heart disease and ovarian cancer. And one-year later we’re hosting our own to benefit women experiencing poverty in the Washington region.

The Zumba® Corporate Office approved our Zumbathon® Charity Event within two-hours of submission - a process that normally takes two-business days, and within four-weeks, only 10% of our desired participants have registered.

Lesson learned, we’re doing something we’ve never done before and its success can’t be measured solely on who showed up; but, on our commitment to work and move the weight of poverty off the shoulders of women who live with it daily right in our backyard.

Not achieving the desired results from this plunge will not stop us from doing it again. Poverty is growing, and we do not have time to be stagnated by fear, skepticism, or resistance.

If you want to experience growth and enthusiasm click here - this can result from trying something new.

September 30, 2014

A World without Women

What would the world look like without women? Take a few minutes to ponder this thought. What did you come up with?

Women who are abused, neglected, or subjected to sexism, are invisible. And, women weren’t created to be second-class citizens to men, but equally to build a fruitful and noble world for all humanity to enjoy. Subjection of women can stem from pride and ignorance. It’s ignorance when people don’t know the reason for women’s existence; pride when people are self-serving and would do anything to fulfill their wants and needs.

If women want to strengthen their presence and voice in society, they should:
  • Discover their purpose and not allow people or external circumstances deter them from their destined path.
  • Live according to their uniqueness and convictions; not societal norms.
  • Know their rights as a citizen and in the workplace and hold people accountable who inflict harm to them.
  • Increase and stabilize their self- and net-worth to create personal and financial stability.
  • Stop defining their value based on their sexuality or possessions.
  • Connect with people who exalt others and not themselves.
  • Be decisive and fearless about their beliefs and choices.
Eve was created to serve as Adam’s helpmate; not his doormat. If women want to make their presence known and voices heard, they should stop walking in the shadow of mankind, and consider walking in the shadow of their Creator - God.

September 26, 2014

I’m Not One of Them

My parents raised me different.

My parents told me, "Make sure you can take care of yourself," and I do.

These women need to stop lying on their backs, making babies they can’t take care of.

I’m not giving my money to support lazy women that don’t want to work.

These statements are from single mothers who were approached by The SOFEI Group to help us achieve our mission of empowering women to economic independence. The single mothers were divorced, widowed, and a sole parent with a strong support system.

What’s interesting is how proud they were to share their distinction without knowledge of our current and prospective clients. It will be impossible for women to thrive as a cohesive unit when we’re moved so swiftly to divide. Why talk about the wage gap between men and women or any other gaps that supposedly prevent women from progressing, when women allow social, political, financial, or ethnical differences create wedges?

Many women who have experienced or are experiencing poverty, did not choose it! They do not enjoy relying on the government or others to feed their children or meet their basic living needs. And, it's unfortunate these women experience a different type of judgment when they need assistance to regain their momentum after a divorce, death of a spouse, spousal abandonment, decline in health, or job loss.

Today's society is heading towards a downward spiral because women who carry the weight of poverty aren't participating at their best capacity. Madeleine Albright, (former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and US Secretary of State) states, "There's a special place in hell for women that don't help each other."

Women have the power to transform our society to be more inclusive and not divisive. It's a matter of choice. Which will you choose?

March 26, 2014

Jewel in The Hands of an Inexperienced Jeweler

Genesis 34 talks about a young virgin woman, named Dinah who “went out to see the daughters of the land” (Genesis 34:1). She was spotted by Shechem - a victim of lust at first sight, who took Dinah and violated her virginity (Genesis 34:2). A Jewel, such as Dinah, was defiled and violated because of Shechem’s strong sexual desire to have her (Genesis 34:3). In Hebrew, the definition of violated or defiled, means to be taken by force (i.e., raped). Shechem’s actions resulted in harm instead of satisfaction because Dinah’s brothers, Levi and Simeon lied, stole, and murdered for revenge.

Dinah was a Jewel taken by force, but there are many women (Jewels) who voluntarily place themselves in the hands of Inexperienced Jewelers due to:

Soft Spoken Words

According to Genesis 34:3, Shechem spake kindly unto the damsel. Women can become prey to soft spoken words if they were raised in negative environments, were victims of verbal, emotional, or physical abuse and never heard or experienced unconditional love.

Low Self-Esteem

Some women with low self-esteem try to validate their self-worth by clinging to the arms of wrong men.

The Biological Clock

Some women rush into marriage based on their biological clock instead of God's. Their friends have gotten married, and started families, and they feel like timing is running out for Mr. Right.

Inexperienced Jeweler Doesn't Know Her Value

This can happen for women with a history of broken and abusive relationships, as well as other issues they haven't allowed God to cleanse and heal.

Fornication

Many women are in the hands of Inexperienced Jewelers for the sake of Eros (lustful) love and have convinced themselves that if the sex is good, everything else in the relationship will fall into place. However, sex was designed to be good under the Union of Holy Matrimony.

Hungry for Love and Affection

If an employee partakes of an unhealthy snack to satisfy their hunger, this can prevent them from enjoying a healthy, nutritious meal because they have become full from the snack. When we're hungry for love and affection we too indulge in unhealthy snacking (i.e., relationships) which blocks us from receiving the main entrée - a man designed especially for us.

So, are You a Jewel In The Hands of An Inexperienced Jeweler?