10 things we can do to empower women right now
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 8:02PM 
While my house was sleeping the other night I decided to catch up on my Oprah shows. Usually I work during these rare moments of peace but this night I wanted to veg. Well, let's just say my heart was torn open after that. The Oprah show I turned on was her interview with Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn. They recently published a book, Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a call for all of us to help women around the world from three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality. Not light and fluffy topics. I probably didn't move an inch during the whole show. I was left with a strong urge to turn into supergirl so I can fly around the world to save these women and girls from harm. Unfortunately, it's not that easy but together we can join the Half The Sky Movement to increase awareness and help in our respective ways.
Nicholas and Sheryl believe there are 3 ways to empower women to unleash their potential.
Make girls smarter. Many pregnant women living in poverty don't get enough iodine, so their fetuses' brains do not develop properly. The solution: Iodize salt, at the cost of a couple of pennies per person per year. To contribute, go to Helen Keller International.
Support a woman's business. With a microloan of $50, a woman can start a business, producing income she can use to feed her children and send them to school. They suggest visiting: MercyCorps and BRAC.
Keep a girl in school. Nicholas and Sheryl have seen girls who get an education will have fewer children, earn more money, and be able to help her younger siblings. One excellent support program operates in Cambodia, where uneducated girls are at great risk of being trafficked into brothels. For $10 a month, you can keep a girl in school through American Assistance for Cambodia or for $13,000, you can build an entire school that will revolutionize life in a village forever!
Here's other resources for you/me/we to make a difference...
Visit Oprah.com to find organizations that will help you support a mom, help a rape victims, save a slave, teach a girl, and provide microloans.
Check out Nicholas and Sheryl's answers to 10 great questions with GoodReads.com
Get inspired by NY Times Magazine: Saving The World's Women
Watch the video, The Girl Effect, to see how one girl can save a village.
Get local by helping out Dress For Success suit up women for interviews and jobs in your area!
Reader Comments (5)
Thank you for this post! There is so much that we can all do to empower women and therefore change the world. Women - caretakers, mothers, community leaders, healers, farmers, artisans, and resource stewards – deal with the challenges that face us today like climate change. I have seen the difference that investing in women can make and I am delighted to see you bring attention to this.
Amira Diamond
Co-Director
Women's Earth Alliance
Thank you Amira for your comment. I agree, I've seen women gain huge confidence with little support. Together, big or small, our help will make a big difference for so many women!
If you want to get hard erections and boost sex drive naturally, you can
do so by taking the best sex pills. So when choosing a sex pills which
herbs should it contain? Lets take a look.
sex drugs
sex pills
sex pills for women
female sex pills
woman's sex drive pills
male sex pills
sex delay spray
sex toys
adult sex toys
best sex toys
condom
female condom
condom sex
best condoms
Pilatory
weight loss products
best weight loss products
sex
drive pills
best sex
pills
top weight loss products
male sex endurance pills
best male sex pills
herbal sex pill
herbal sex pill for men
herbal sex pills for women
It’s a film called Hungry for You and it’s in pre-production now. I play the lead vampire. I didn’t want to be a vampire but was forced into it so I’m struggling with my vampire powers and not wanting to turn the girl I love into a vampire. The script is really great and has a wonderful storyline. It’s been fun. The creator, Linda Andersson, has a really cool comic strip of Hungry for You that she is going to release soon. It’s sort of a teaser and a way to start the marketing for the project in a bigger level.
cheap uggs
red bottom shoes
cheap uggs
UGG Adirondack
UGG Bailey Button
UGG Bailey Button Triplet Grey
UGG Classic Tall Chestnut
The following article actually established my very own little brown eyes towards the several merchants which usually organizations currently have by means of internet marketing.i like to read informative blogs and this blog is also so good and helpful.thanks for taking time to discus this topic..