I’m a diehard believer that you can change the world. I believe that individuals and groups can make a difference if they try. My belief has been tested over the years and there have been setbacks but in my own small way I’ve tried to “be the change I wish to see in the world.” My work as a volunteer guardian ad litem freed up some neglected children for adoption and helped some abused children get the help they needed to heal. In recent years I’ve been trying to widen my horizons and learn more about other cultures and places in the world. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the violence, turmoil and trouble all over the world. Third world nations labor under the yoke of entrenched poverty, illiteracy and cultural barriers that often prevent half of the work force from being fully productive. Consider the fact that while women perform 66% of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, they earn 10% of the income and 1% of the property.

I have been uplifted and enlightened by reading the book “Half the Sky Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” by Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Kristof is an editorial writer for the NY Times and through his writing I’ve followed his world travels and ongoing analysis of the link between poverty and terrorism. Kristof and his wife WuDunn do a masterful job of combining statistics, research and real life stories to show the impact of micro-lending, reproductive health services and education on women across the globe. The authors have turned what could be a boring dissertation on poverty and cultural deprivation into a fascinating view into the lives of women who despite their obvious differences from us have very similar desires in seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

Kristoff and WuDunn believe that societies that repress women tend to be prone to violence and political instability. They advance the theory, supported by real life examples, that empowering women can positively affect the entire community and in some cases impact their society. Kristoff purports that empowering women to be educated and have control over their reproductive lives makes them healthier and happier and when the matriarch of the family is healthier and happier so is the entire family.

I’m pleased to say that the Half the Sky movement is marching on past the pages of the book. The book has sparked a new documentary, which makes its national debut on Thursday, March 4^th in theatres across the country. Half the Sky LIVE www.halftheskylive.com will be shown in 480 movie theatres in the U.S. and Canada sponsored by CARE and other groups including Dining for Women which began in Greenville, SC. Half the Sky LIVE will bring to life the women depicted in the book and permit a wider audience to understand the impact even small donations can make to women around the world. In many cases a poverty stricken woman’s life was changed forever by a monthly donation of less than $30.00. That’s powerful stuff.

Dining for Women harnesses the power of collective giving. By gathering once a month for pot luck dinners, group members learn of agencies that are uplifting women through micro lending, education and health programs. Our small donations are combined with more than 160 DFW chapters across the country, enabling the group to donate more than $600,000 to an array of international organizations since it’s foundation in 2003.

I urge each of you to seek out ways to make a difference. Half the Sky provides a vast network of resources and locally you can visit www.diningforwomen.org or www.care.org for more information.