Remember her: Getrice’s story

International Women’s Day is such a wonderful opportunity to stand together and celebrate the women doing amazing things and breaking new ground in so many places. But it’s also a day to remember that so many women across the world do not have the same luxuries and freedoms that the rest of us enjoy. Many women in Afghanistan are forbidden from working, going to school, even speaking outside the home. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by conflict in places like Palestine and D R Congo. And many women like Getrice in Uganda face domestic abuse from their partners. And, sadly, these are not the stories that will grace our newsfeeds with worldwide cries of outrage and change. But even as we see tensions rise across the world, as we see the number of conflicts increase, there is still hope.

Getrice’s three children are 15, 11 and four. Getrice’s husband was the main breadwinner in their family, so when he left, all his income left with him, and he wouldn’t pay for anything for the children he’d left behind. “I have no job. I don’t have anything,” says Getrice. “But I'm the one getting food, school fees, clothes, medical bills.” She tried as best as she could to find help with her increasingly desperate situation, going to the local leaders and churches for support. But she felt that things were never going to get better. Perhaps it would be best if she just left too.

That’s what she said when she first met Jacky from BMS’ partner Justice Livelihoods Health (JLH). Jacky’s role is to stand for gender justice and fight against gender-based violence against women and girls. She works closely with Valerie Kisaber, the Child Protection Officer at JLH, to get help to women and girls who’ve suffered abuse and to bring justice wherever they can. When Getrice came to her, Jacky was able to get her the funds she needed to help her buy food and to keep her children in school. She’s also helping mediate between Getrice and her husband to get him to contribute to support his children. She and Getrice pray together, and Getrice is confident that God has a plan for her life.

Things still aren’t easy for Getrice. Her children get ill quite a lot, and she struggles to pay for their medicine. But she knows that Jacky is there fighting her corner, that she has someone to go to when she needs strength.

This International Women’s Day, will you remember women like Getrice? Will you remember the women whose stories we don’t hear? And will you also remember the women like Jacky, who are doing everything they can to fight for women in need? This International Women’s Day, will you pray with us that we might treat and see one another as exactly what we are: beloved children of God, made in his image, who deserve grace, respect and peace.