Michele La Morte-Shbat
Saudia Arabia
“I was gratified by the deferential response I received from the Saudi men I met on that trip, treatment which flew in the face of all that I had heard before about the Kingdom.”    
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Interestingly enough, it was my idea to live and work in Saudi Arabia. It was late 1999, and although I had a wonderful life as an economist in Washington, DC, where I lived with my husband and two miniature poodles, much of my daily routine had become stale and rather ordinary. I had …

David Meth
United States/South Korea
“…she left an indelible memory and influenced my writing. I don’t know if she had the same effect on anyone else in the class, but to look at Korea in 2012, it seems that she and women like her must have had a very strong impact on change.”
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Although this story goes back 42 years, it demonstrates how powerful a small act remains for the people who witness it, and how change may come in spite of what one person sees as a failure. I was teaching English …

Julie Myers
Colombia
“…there was no doubt that we were in the presence of something greater than ourselves.”
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Just weeks after the celebration of International Women’s Day, on 22 March, the Popular Women’s Organization (OFP) asked us to visit the house of a friend and OFP colleague named Iluminada.  Her neighbor, a man who identifies himself as a paramilitary, attacked and threatened her in her home.  In a demonstration of solidarity, eleven women from the OFP showed up to her house that morning, plus four Christian Peacemaker Team members (CPTers).
As we formed a …

-By Kimberly Weichel
CEO
This month we celebrate mothers and the qualities of mothering. Being a mother is an integral and important part of who I am, and has shaped my perspective and what I value. I feel a common bond with mothers everywhere―including everyone reading this column―united by the love we have for our children, sharing in our commitment to ensure that our children are safe. The loss or pain of a child anywhere diminishes the entire world family and affects all of us.
I have met a number of women who …