Woman Waging Peace

Woman Waging Peace
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2010-05-11-images-SisterImmaculataMulyeiSisterMichaelLunguMarshaWinsrygandFosterWachatawoodcarverfromMukuniVillage.jpg
Sister Immaculata Mulyei, Sister Michael Lungu, Marsha Winsryg
and Foster Wachata, wood carver from Mukuni Village


While our country hypnotizes itself into believing we can eradicate terrorism by marching our armies through landscapes of misery, Marsha Winsryg chooses differently. She chooses to wage peace.

Ms. Winsryg tells the story of when her daughter, Gia, built a city with leggos in her house one day. The city had rivers and bridges. She was three years old.

Twenty years later Gia was helping bridge divergent civilizations when she invited her mother and sister to accompany her to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. In a previous visit to this UNESCO world heritage site, Gia underwent a profound spiritual transformation and wanted to share that experience with her family.

Ms. Winsryg was not prepared for the impact Africa would have on her own life. On her way to the Ruins, she stopped at Victoria Falls and bought crafts from artisans working at the Falls. As a gesture of friendship, She agreed to sell the artists' wares in the U.S. and essentially be their agent. As she learned more about life in Zambia, she decided she would raise money for a non-government organization ("NGO"). She contacted John Snow, Inc. ("JSI"), an international health consultancy based in Boston. JSI referred her to the Mama Bakhita Cheshire Center ("MBCC"), a school for disabled children, located in Livingstone. The MBCC is partially supported by the John Cheshire Disability foundation.

The MBCC began in 1995 when a small group of Zambian Franciscan nuns, led by Sister Agnes, went from door to door in their local village asking families if they had any disabled children. In Zambia disabled children are thought to be proof of shameful family misconduct. They are often hidden in dark rooms and sometimes discarded. As a result, it is not easy to find these children. However, through love and perseverance, the Sisters gradually discovered some of these forgotten souls. They offered to bring them to a house where they were living and to start educating them. The parents were grateful. The Sisters also offered to educate the parents as to how to deal with their children's disabilities. Upon seeing the results of the Sisters' work, the parents were happy to bring their children to the Center. Now, instead of being ashamed of their children, they are proud of the small miracles being performed at the MBCC. Love and compassion fuel the curriculum. The children are transformed. Nobody is turned away. Everybody is accepted and services are provided freely.

After visiting the school, Ms. Winsryg, a mother of three daughters, educator and artist, was intensely moved by the children and the Sisters who attend them. She decided to support their work. She could have just given a donation and returned to her comfortable home, but Ms. Winsryg was compelled to do more.

Ms. Winsryg knew of a nearby traditional artisan's village, Mukuni Village, which was founded in the 13th century. The artists she originally met at Victoria Falls two years previously came from this village. She continued to buy crafts, bring them back to the U.S., and send the profits to the MBCC. In 2004, Marsha created the African Artists Community Development Project ("AACDP"), a not-for-profit micro-foundation that would support the MBCC.

Currently, Ms. Winsryg raises and sends a minimum of $500.00 every month to MBCC. This money goes a long way in Zambia, an impoverished country devastated by AIDS, a catastrophe that has left many children without families. With AACDP's money, the Sisters built a new structure, which the Center not only uses for classrooms, but also rents out on weekends for community meetings. AACDP's contributions have served as the bulk of the school's daily operating expenses. The Sisters were able to buy a mini-bus to help transport children and parents. The demand for their services has grown exponentially. They have empowered those who were unseen. Parents sacrifice in order that their children go to MBCC. No longer do their children live in shadow.

Ms. Winsryg's work has expanded. Recently she went to Zambia and created a puppet show with the children. She taught them how to make the puppets, including the clothing they wear. She encouraged them to bring their own stories to the school that would then be used as the basis of the performance. All the stories had a disabled protagonist. You may see part of this performance on You Tube at Waging Peace in Zambia.

In this tiny corner of Zambia, America is admired because it produces people like Marsha Winsryg and the daughters who have accompanied her throughout the years.

In a moment when an opaque curtain descends upon a different part of our collective psyche each day, Marsha Winsryg exposes light. In so doing, she reveals the miracle of one person creating hope.

An ancient love ascended from the Great Ruins of Zimbabwe.

If you wish to know more about Marsha Winsryg's work in Zambia, you may find her blog at Woman Waging Peace.

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