@Kababe
That is the story I was refering to. I think you are right, these kind of news are not good for the spirit. I like to read the news to get a feel for what is going on at the grassroots level, but what I have found is the more I read the more I just want to give up on that country and move on....but I feel guilty because I have people left behind who I care about. I may just stick to the blogs....maybe one of these days I will start an organization to help the gal child.
Mya,
You go girl! If you feel called to do something for our young'uns, please don't hesitate.
Our gals need all the help they can get. In general, women and girl's lives tend to improve with education and information. Another problem we have besides this kind of hidden sexual abuse is the suppression of girl-child education in the outskirts of the country. We still have girls being pulled from school and married off at 12, 13 etc. This is a problem all over the continent. So much to do, but few people to do it. Maybe I should think of something I could do myself, besides simply talking to my relatives and neighbours/villagers in shags about some stuff they take forgranted that is not good for them and trying to open their eyes. Only women can help other women, it is true.
Don't give up on our peeps, lol! If we give up on them, who will help?
Still, we must face our personal limits and realize that making ourselves miserable will do little to actually improve the situation. Its just I think it can be overwhelming to fill yourself with stories of things you cant really directly help. There is a Buddhist meditation by Pema Chodron I once read about, on how to connect with the suffering of others through our own suffering and release compassion to them. I used to fear doing it coz I thought it was anti-Christian, but I find it helps with a negative situation that feels overwhelming, like war and what-not and I can make it in a Christian way. You can just practice saying a prayer to Jesus whenever you see something so bad that you just cant stomach it, and yet you cant do much. Ask him to step in and do whatever it is that needs to be done, comfort, healing, whatever and to bring out the best out of that awful situation, then put it out of your mind. It helps me when I witness/hear about something soul-crashing, whether close to home/far away across the world. Just practice compassion and let go of what is beyond you, its the only way to wade through this world in one piece without growing a bitter and hard shell on your heart.