A World Away

With all the pressures on our lives (work, family, volunteering, hobbies, working out) I think we all often forget we are a part of a larger world. Some of us fear getting involved in international women's issues because we don't want to look like know-it-all-American-women pushing our values on other women. Yet we also know that women in other countries desperately need our help and support.

Americans for the UN Population Fund has this great new tool/site that allows you to enter in your life story and then compare to another woman anywhere in the world.

I've just completed my lifeline at www.AmericansForUNFPALifelines.org and want you to do the same!

I can compare my life to the lives of women from all over the world. Women's lives vary in so many ways — Americans for UNFPA shows us how, even though our lives are different, we can still make a difference in our world.

Log on and set up your lifeline today and show your support for the health and dignity of women everywhere.

I did it last night while bored at all the walks the Rockies gave up to the Red Sox (seriously, we need a slaughter rule in baseball). It was pretty fun. I compared myself to a 60yo woman in South America and a 33yo woman in Asia. The similarities were striking more so than the differences.

Yes, the site is run by the same group that has been trying to get the USA to pay its dues to the UNFPA since Bush has been in office:

The U.S. Committee for UNFPA, now Americans for UNFPA, was founded in 1998. We are the official committee for UNFPA in the United States. We support UNFPA by generating awareness of UNFPA’s work, fundraising for field programs, and advocating for U.S. policies in support of UNFPA, including the release of Congressionally-allocated U.S. funds that have been withheld by the Administration since 2002.

So head on over to the site, create your profile. You can find me by putting my first name in the "look for friends" search box. Easy, eh? I did put in my profile pretty quickly so it's not as thorough as others on there.