catching up after a whirlwind week.

after four nonstop days, we finally have some time to catch up on recent headlines and GCNova developments.

• On Monday, September 14, Fawziya Ammodi passed away giving birth to her first child. But Fawziya was no ordinary woman: she was a mere 12 years old. After being forced to drop out of school and marry a 24-year-old man last year, Fawziya spent three days in intense labor before she died of severe bleeding. The painful childbirth almost took the life of her baby as well. Having grown up in an impoverished family, Fawziya became a child bride--a practice that is common in the country of Yemen, where ritual customs dominate culture and societal norms. In fact, more than 50% of young girls in Yemen are married before the age of 18, sometimes to older men who already have another wife, or wives. Though many families opt to give up their daughters in exchange for large dowries or a lesser financial burden on themselves, UNICEF argues that "Girls who give birth before the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s. Child marriage denies girls of their childhood, deprives them of an education and robs them of their innocence." This recent story is reminiscent of 2008 Yemeni headlines, when 10-year-old Nujood Ali was pulled out of school, married to a man, and was beaten and raped within weeks of the wedding ceremony. After running away and standing trial, Ali was eventually granted a divorce--but her fight for independence and respect continues even today. (Read the CNN report here.)
• On Sunday, September 13, 2009, a body was discovered in the Yale School of Medicine building where graduate student and bride-to-be Annie Le was last spotted. Though authorities did not immediately confirm that the body was Le's, it has since been announced that Le was murdered. Her body was found strangled and stuffed in a wall. After it was discovered that the security on the building was very tight, and that only a select number of students and staff were permitted access to the rooms, Raymond Clark III was revealed as a prime suspect. Today, Clark was arrested at a Super 8 Motel. Though some acquaintances are arguing that the police have the wrong man, Clark was reported to have had an unrequited crush on Le, and records show that he was in the building at the same time as Le on the day of her disappearance. Defensive wounds and scratches were also discovered on his body. Clark, 24, was a lab technician of the school of medicine's Animal Resource Center. Fortunately, at this time, there is no evidence that Le was sexually abused before her murder.
• According to CNN, 39-year-old Douglas Perlitz has been charged with 10 counts of abuse of nine boys. Perlitz, who was arrested in Colorado, has lived in Haiti for years. In Haiti, Perlitz had set up a home for needy children and served as director of Project Pierre Toussaint. According to reports, Perlitz enticed the nine boys over the course of a decade, with promises of food, shelter, and lavish gifts.

In GCNova news, our flyers have been created and will be printed for posting next week. Our first call-out meeting is scheduled for October 1, 7:00pm! Don't forget to make your VUgroups profile and join GCNova!