During after some morning chai with this sister-elder (photo above), we began our first morning of the women’s conference in Tikapur.

These women took the microphone, many for the first time in their lives.  They wanted to share responses from their small group break out sessions and some were trembling with fear at being in front of a crowd.  Friends, their words took our breath away, inspired us, and left us in awe.  These women have something to say.  Change is afoot in this community, for sure.

Men use us as toys, servants, treat us as objects to be bought in a market, throw us away when they no longer want us.

Women are the shoes of men – dominated by them every day.

The life of a lady is a curse – having a daughter is a curse.  We even have bought into this and give the big pieces of meat to our sons – and only rice to the girls.

They say, “You can only do housework, cut grass, be child producing machines – and if we don’t produce a male child, we are kicked out of our homes.”

[But…]

It is up to us if we want to end this thing.  We let them do it to us – we must reject this.

Men cannot stop us – it’s time and I want to see something change.

We can and want to work like men.

We don’t have to hate ourselves as ladies.

Even though we were born girls, we are all beloved.