🛶 “As a woman, I’m able to do whatever I want.

I am reminded of my childhood; I can remember and be excited like a girl again.” - Muzhda Oriakhil “These are your rivers.” -Joe Cook, Ga Rivers Last month, more than 20 women from our Outdoor Wellness Program paddled 6 miles down the Etowah River — many kayaking for the first time. Before getting in the water, the women shared what gave them courage. Their answer: each other. “We tend to stereotype what refugee women can do,” says Temple Moore, RWN’s Director of Community Wellness and Outdoor Leadership. “We see them cooking and caring for kids, but there is no limit to what these women can do.” The numbers back it up — in surveys of hundreds of outdoor program participants, agreement with the statement “I am strong” rose from 42% to 92% after taking part. 💪 Huge thanks to WABE’s Emily Wu Pearson and Karen Lopez for spending the day on the water with us and telling this story so beautifully. 🙏 🎧 Listen to the full story — link in our bio/Linktree. @wabeatl @wabenews @georgia_river_network #refugeewomen #OutdoorWellness #natureismedicine #RefugeesWelcome #communityhealth