Courtney Christenson 
We often draw the lines that separate “us” and “them” based on who is like us and who is not. But what if we intentionally redrew those lines? Not by erasing differences, but by deciding that our differences are precisely what make us, well, “us.”
Anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss (not the denim guy) famously quipped that, “Humanity ends at the edge of our tribe.” And psychologically speaking, he’s right. We do treat people within our community—anyone we consider part of “us”—better than those outside of it.
So let’s expand our tribe.
Our Sisterhood program started with the dream of doing exactly that. Creating a global community that binds women together across boundaries. These ladies are our sisters and we are theirs… in spite of, and enriched by, our differences.
It’s time to grow the sisterhood by empowering one another to become the fullness of who we are meant to be.
Supporting a refugee woman in Iraq is a way for people around the world to declare that we have more reasons to connect with one another than we have excuses to be divided. It’s a way to act on your belief that community doesn’t have to end at the boundaries of religion, ethnicity, geography or life experience. Your community extends beyond those things.
Displaced people and refugees often feel forgotten by the world. When you support Sisterhood Candles, you show up and let them know that you don’t just see them—you care for them as part of your family. As you would for a sister. Or a mother. Or a daughter.
This program has empowered women like Hiyam and Lamyaa to join a sisterhood of women who are seen, heard, and appreciated by one another across all boundaries. Women displaced by war and violence are no longer a faceless group of people separate from ourselves. They are part of us. We are part of them. And we are all better for it.
The great thing about a vision like this is that there is no limit to how far it can reach. So join us. Support other women, grow the sisterhood and heal the divide.
Empower your refugee sisters today.
