Who Are You? |
Imagine not being able to prove who you are, no birth certificate, no national ID, no passport, no driver’s license. Nothing to say I am me! Try to Imagine No Proof of Identity Without an identity it is impossible to go to school, have a job, housing, electricity, the list is endless. Isn’t it our basic right to be able to prove who we are, that we exist? Can you imagine the process of going to the government and asking for some type of identification card and having nothing to prove who you say you are? Yet according to new World Bank numbers some 850 million people do not have an official ID, most in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Add to this that you did have ID, you were trafficked and your ID was taken, you are forced to live in a red-light area or a slum where you make an average of $3 per day. And, you can’t read or write, not even your own name. How would you even begin? Our staff work tirelessly through the laborious process of getting ID cards for women and birth certificates for children. Most months we average getting two or three. Last month we worked with the government and organized a camp in our center for ID processing. More than 100 people showed up and stood in line to wait their turn. Time allowed us to process 22 people. 22 people now have identification! While we wish we could have processed all that came we are very thankful that 22 people received identification in one day. The government told the remaining people if they came to the main office, about 30 minutes away, they would process their paperwork. We are so thankful for this day and hope to repeat this process in the future. Having identification changes your world. It is the key to so many opportunities; your child can go to school, you can get a job, you can open a bank account, you can receive health and social services that were not available to you without an ID. In addition to identification, we are teaching women to read and write. Many have never even written their own name. Currently, we have 30 women enrolled in literacy classes. This is amazing! Hope is so evident in their lives! They are learning about Jesus, learning to read and write and getting identification cards. Your support allows Rahab’s Rope the opportunity to provide these type services for women and children. It helps us build trust, opportunity and Hope to so many that had lost hope. Thank You! God is working and lives are being changed. Currently we have 47 women that attend our prayer and worship service every week. As women are seeing other women realize they have value and worth, their lives are changing, and more believe it is possible.
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