Women In the World

Watch the 2013 Women in the World Summit live right here,...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:13:00 -0400

Watch the 2013 Women in the World Summit live right here, starting at 6 pm EST Thursday evening. (If you’re getting an error above, click here.)

Women's History Month: Who Inspires You?

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:01:30 -0500

Women’s History Month recognizes the contributions of women both past and present.

Our Women In The World Foundation highlights the women who are changing lives and making an impact all year round with our Woman of The Week series.

This week we’re highlighting Taryn Davis who after losing her husband in Iraq, founded the American Widows Project. Her organization has offered support to more than 1,500 widows and held 35 events around the country.

How are women changed by the Project?

We have so many widows that come to our organization and right from the get-go say “please don’t call me a widow.” We try and let them know that the title didn’t have to be this ugly word; that it could embody the sacrifice made by our husbands and ourselves. It could be a title that we could be proud of. But the only way we going to be proud of it is to embrace the word and make the world know that military widows aren’t a group of people we should feel sorry for, but a group of people we can learn from. We try to show those women this and by the end of the weekend, it’s amazing to see that change from women who originally said don’t call me that to embracing that word and screaming, “I’m a widow! I’m a widow! I’m a widow!”

For the full interview click here.

Women In The World: It's On!

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:14:22 -0500

Newsweek and The Daily Beast are excited to announce the 2013 Women in the World Summit on April 4 and 5. Get your tickets today.

The fourth annual Women in the World Summit will take place April 4 and 5 in New York City. The event will be held at Lincoln Center and will feature Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Tina Brown, Dr. Hawa Abdi, Tererai Trent, Ambassador Susan E. Rice, Eva Longoria, Barkha Dutt, Ping Fu, Michaela DePrince, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Diane von Furstenberg, Anne Finucane, America Ferrera, Mary Robinson, Ambassador Sherry Rehman, Lesley Stahl, Susana Trimarco, Mamie Gummer, Rula Jebreal, Cynthia McFadden, Ai-jen Poo, Deborah Roberts, Julie Hamp, Patricia Amira, and many more inspiring women and men to be announced soon. Buy your tickets here. All proceeds from ticket sales go to the Women in the World Foundation, which promotes solutions that advance women and girls throughout the world.

Plus, see highlights from the 2012 summit and read last year’s list of 150 women who changed the world.

Boosting IT Literacy in Africa

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:57:29 -0400

The Problem

Africa has 15% of the world population but only 5% of the world’s Internet users and the majority of these are concentrated in the urban, affluent areas of the continent (mainly in the far north and South Africa). It is also the continent with the lowest connectivity in the world with only 5.7% of the population connected to the Internet. The adoption of the internet between countries is larger than the disparity in GDP per capita, meaning there is more worldwide inequality in internet access than income.

Much as in the rest of the world, there are few women in Africa employed in the Information Technology industry and are underrepresented in this area.

There is also a large digital divide between rural and urban Africa; in rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa for example, less than 20% of people have access to electricity which impacts the IT services available in these remote areas. Other obstacles in rural areas include low levels of computer literacy, poor infrastructures and high costs of Internet services. Having a well-resourced, sustainable ICT center in rural areas would drastically improve the information-flow to the area, as well as bring down the cost of internet connection.

The Solution

Camfed trained Penelope as an IT Ambassador and she trains other young women as IT experts. She now runs the Samfya Resource Center which is the only viable internet center within hundreds of miles, serving a community of over 191,000 people in an extremely impoverished area of Zambia.

Here, she teaches community members how to use the computer and the internet to research educational and employment opportunities, as well as to expand their businesses.

The Woman

http://vimeo.com/20736920

The Problem: A waste treatment plant and bus depot in West...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:24:31 -0400

The Problem: A waste treatment plant and bus depot in West Harlem causing respiratory problems for the residents and exacerbating cases of asthma.

The Solution: We Act for Environmental Justice

The Woman: Peggy Shepard, founder of WEACT, who ensures that people of color and/or low income have a voice in health policies and issues that affect their community.

Empowering Young Women Leaders in Nepal

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:00:05 -0500

THE PROBLEM: Women in Nepal face overwhelming challenges: 1/3 of girls aged 15 to 19 are married and 60% of women are illiterate. Young women have the passion and vision to solve these problems, but simply lack the necessary resources.

THE SOLUTION: Women LEAD has equipped 200 promising students (aged 14 to 19) with skills and resources through leadership programs: the Institute, School Leadership, and Social Entrepreneurship. We empower young women to take leadership positions alongside men in Nepal by providing them with the skills to pursue their vision for change. We build the capacity of future female leaders to tackle the root causes of poverty and discrimination.

THE WOMEN: Claire Naylor’s move to Nepal in 1992 meant her earliest memories were shadowed by ingrained gender discrimination. Although child marriage and illiteracy were the norm, the impressions of Nepali women that remain are their resilience and compassion. For Claire Charamnac, her work at women’s rights NGOs in Singapore made her confront the harsh realities of female migrant workers. As young leaders ourselves, we understand the importance of empowering youth, especially girls. We’re inspired by these women’s ability to not only survive but embrace life, even in societies that deny them basic human rights.

We co-founded Women LEAD in 2010, and have expanded from a 2 week pilot program serving 25 young women to an organization with 7 programs serving over 200 youth.

Everyday, 1000 women die from complications caused by childbirth...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:26:39 -0500

Everyday, 1000 women die from complications caused by childbirth or pregnancy. Model/Advocate Christy Turlington Burns shares the story of Jennie Joseph, a midwife whose dedication to providing quality care is changing the lives of pregnant women in her community.

Teacher Debbie Osborne took her love for children out of the...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:02:06 -0500

Teacher Debbie Osborne took her love for children out of the classroom and into the community. By providing healthy food choices to students, she not only helped them find a passion for nutrition but also revitalized the local neighborhood.

For one young girl it was hard to dance like no one was...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:03:06 -0500

For one young girl it was hard to dance like no one was watching, because she knew that everyone was. However, with the uplifting words of her dance instructor, Leslie Bakaric, she overcame her stage fright and found the confidence to pursue her dreams.

It takes just one person to make a difference in the life of a...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:05:05 -0500

It takes just one person to make a difference in the life of a child. Often it’s a teacher or a parent, and sometimes it’s both. We give you Karen Schultz.

Teen-dating violence is becoming an epidemic, but one woman has...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:20:42 -0500

Teen-dating violence is becoming an epidemic, but one woman has made it her mission to break the cycle. Watch how Esta Soler is doing her part to educate, heal, and stop domestic abuse.

Run, Joan, run! In the late 1970s, it was believed that women...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:14:19 -0500

Run, Joan, run! In the late 1970s, it was believed that women couldn’t run long distances. Fortunately for us, no one told that to Joan Benoit Samuelson. The elite runner not only won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the women’s marathon, but she also proved to the world that women could go the distance.

Thousands of refugees in war-torn Somalia were left with no...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:13:39 -0500

Thousands of refugees in war-torn Somalia were left with no homes, no food, and no hope. That is, until Dr. Hawa Abdi built a safe haven that dramatically changed the lives of more than 100,000 of her countrymen.

Realizing that female soldiers stationed overseas had more to...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:12:00 -0500

Realizing that female soldiers stationed overseas had more to worry about than where to find hair gel, one woman sprang into action. NBC’s Jacque Reid tells the story of Myraline Morris Whitaker, who is dedicated to keeping soldiers beautiful while they keep our country safe.

Before Kathy Griffin, there was Joan Rivers. Watch as talk show...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:28:54 -0500

Before Kathy Griffin, there was Joan Rivers. Watch as talk show host Wendy Williams shares how the legendary comedian tackled stereotypes and cleared the path for our current generation of funny ladies.