Dear Friends,

We have been asked many times what inspired us to go into the war-torn country of Afghanistan to help the women. After September 11th, the plight of the women of Afghanistan became front-page news. We, along with millions of other women around the world, were horrified by what we saw.

Most women have experienced oppression of some kind, whether it is in the form of the denial of educational or job opportunities, sexual or physical abuse, discrimination, or poverty. What caught our attention was the realization that almost all the women of Afghanistan had experienced all of those types of oppression. Their "glass ceiling" started below the ground floor! They were not allowed to work. They were not allowed to receive an education. They were raped and sexually abused. Any male who perceived a violation of the Taliban code of conduct could and most often would victimize them physically in public. Even their young sons were taught that it was acceptable to beat their mothers. They were not allowed to leave their homes without a male member of their families as an escort. They were required to take women-only public transportation. They were denied access to medical treatment. They were required to fully cover themselves with a burqa. No one could see them smile and no one could see their tears. They were invisible.

After 23 years of war, a majority of these women are widows. They are unskilled with no way to earn a living except begging in the streets.

We began to ask ourselves what kind of women could endure this kind of oppression and survive? What were their dreams? Did they have any dreams? Did their hope die along with their dreams? As women, we grieved for them. The desire to reach out to them and comfort them was overwhelming. We wanted to just sit and talk to them and listen to their stories. We wanted to tell them how much we admired their courage and their strength. We wanted them to know that we cared.

We knew many other women around the world were feeling their pain as well. We asked ourselves, " What if the women in Rwanda, who lost their husbands in the genocide, could find a way to encourage these women? What if the widows in Kosovo could find comfort with them? What if the women in America, with our wealth, freedom, and power, could pull our resources together to restore what these women had lost? Wouldn't it be powerful if women from all over the world could join forces and form a sisterhood to show our sisters in Afghanistan that we care and be the backs that these women stand on to get back up?"

It is from this that the Women of Hope Project was born as an organization for women by women to restore the hope and dignity of women who have been oppressed around the world, starting with our sisters in Afghanistan. We hope that you will join us by giving of your time, money, and resources to show the world what women can do when we are unified for a common purpose.

Betsy Beamon

Women of Hope Project