I just came across this update courtesy of the United Nations: A Female Approach to Peacekeeping. If I was given any writing assignment, I know I would enjoy something along the lines of what Doreen Carvajal tackled.
It is "toss me a barf bag" worthy that war is a given in our culture. It is an understatement when shouting "this bag is quickly filling up!" Whether we are preparing for war, loading a gun, wrapping one up or mapping plans for the next one, we are thriving upon a neverending battle (pun intended).
If we keep at it and keep 'em coming, I'd say it's about time we consider a back-up plan. I was thrilled to find out the U.N. has already stepped up to the plate and taken the lead. Carvajal describes a campaign effort formed by the U.N. in hopes of solving a solution through the power and influence of . . . of . . . of women.
I believe this theory stems from the fact women are nurturers. Not all of us have a motherly strand, but for the most part women gravitate towards issues of suffering, helplessness, children, peace making, structure, love and I'll say it - filling comfort in one's stomach. People want to prove themselves. We want to show everything we know to as many as we can. Women harness their role as if they were a Budweiser Clydesdale. We ain't no pony in the back, but rather the strength and support leading the stampede. This is where the women behind and most often in front of the frontline come into play. Placing women and women soldiers into the field creates a different outcome. Period.
"The theory — which has evolved since pioneering female peacekeepers started participating in U.N. missions in the Balkans in the 1990s — is that women employ distinctive social skills in a rugged macho domain. They are being counted on to bring calm to the streets and the barracks, acting as public servants instead of invaders."
Indian and Nigerian women, two of the "top contributors" behind this effort, are taking it upon themselves to defend this new role and watch as the world of war turns sideways. The nurturing gene embedded in their veins is being released onto those who fear, crave and inject terror into their neighbors. These women are also leaving their homes and children back home to provide for those damaged by the war such as the those in Nigeria.
Nigeria "was battered by 14 years of civil war that left about 200,000 people dead and survivors haunted by torture, systematic rapes and the exploitation of drug-addicted boy soldiers." This says a lot about the U.N. and these women. The demand for something new and as a result something positive has boiled down to women offering everything they have to their family and themselves only to transition this role into another country, another culture and another human being(s).
I was intrigued by this article and by the work of these women. I am not sure if I had children and an already established life, I could pack up my suitcase, travel into a world torn apart by war and hope everything I know could somehow make a difference to someone else. My glass is more than half-full when thinking about the women who make up the Pink Line. In fact, my pink lemonade is spilling over knowing what these women have given up in order to give back.
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