The Quill of Alpha Xi Delta Fall Winter 2011 : Page 36
difference. As the sorority members talked about the issues affecting women across the world, they weren’t thinking about Homecoming preparations and their social events for that week; they were thinking about how they could create change. In April 2011, members of the Circle of Sisterhood team attended the Southeastern Panhellenic Conference where the Southeastern Panhellenic Association committed to a long term philan-thropic partnership with the Circle of Sisterhood and almost 50 campuses committed to supporting the Circle of Sisterhood movement. To date, more than 75 campuses have joined the movement to uplift women around the world through education. Imagine what will happen when alumnae get involved! Also in April 2011, The Circle of Sisterhood Foundation celebrated its first anniversary. In the first year alone, The Circle of Sisterhood has provided a year of school, including tuition, uniforms, and all necessary supplies to 38 girls in Tanzania and 38 textbooks or 2,070 pages of Braille for a home for blind girls in Ethiopia. In this second year of existence even more will be accomplished and you are invited to join this humanitarian effort to “uplift women from poverty and oppression through educa-tion” around the world. However you choose to get involved, the impact we can make as sorority community—across affiliation—will show the world the collective influence of our community of sisters when we put our minds and hearts to a cause. Above top: Blind women in Northern Ethiopia must face not only extreme poverty but also the constant fear of being physically or sexually abused. The Circle of Sisterhood Foundation is supporting a home for these young women in the remote area of Mekelle. Above bottom: Ronah, a promising young Zambian girl, received a full scholarship to the best boarding school in Zambia due to a grant from The Circle of Sisterhood. Her tuition, uniform, food and housing are all covered for a full year with this grant. Some Simple Things You Can Do to Make a Difference 1. Visit the website to watch the video about why this is such an important cause: www.circleofsisterhood.org/cause 2. While you are there, go to the “impact” page to learn about the grants Circle of Sisterhood has awarded in their first year. www.circleofsisterhood/impact 3. Learn more from Pulitzer Prize winners, Kristof and WuDunn, as they were the catalysts for this movement, by reading their book Half the Sky or visiting www.halftheskymovement.org. 4. Research women’s empowerment organizations who could be beneficiaries of our collective work. 5. Join a discussion forum on the topic of women’s oppression to challenge yourself and educate others. 6. Visit the Circle of Sisterhood website www.circleofsisterhood.org for additional ideas, motivation and ways to participate. 7. “Like” the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation on Facebook and/or follow them on Twitter. 8. If there is a college campus near you and the sorority councils have partnered with the Circle of Sisterhood, get involved in their efforts. 9. Be a donor in whatever way you can. ne Sisterhood. www.alphaxidelta.org ™ 36
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