From education to health to the environment, across the globe, young women as young as ten years old are rising to the occasion and creating the change they want to see in the world.
Building off her enlightening introduction to Paolo Gianturco's new book Wonder Girls, Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women*, presents a conversation with the celebrated author and photographer.
Gianturco is the author of the celebrated photo essay collections: Women Who Light the Dark and Grandmother Power. For this most recent project, Wonder Girls, she joined with her eleven-year-old granddaughter to document the work of fifteen girl-led nonprofits in thirteen countries across North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. In this new photo collection, Gianturco reveals the little-known stories of girls from around the globe who are helping to change the world: the girls in Mexico who are inventing phone apps, the Ugandan girls advocating for women's rights before the UN, and the girls right here in the US who are lobbying Senators in Congress.
Join these two important women as they discuss the heart-warming change that is being fostered today by some the world's strongest young women.
Paola Gianturco, author-photographer, has documented women's issues in 62 countries for six powerhouse Books. Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon (2012) won four first place literary awards in categories as diverse as multicultural nonfiction and women's studies. Wonder Girls: Changing the World is third in a triptych. Women Who Light the Dark described women activists; Grandmother Power told about grandmother activists. And now, girl activists. Paola's images have been exhibited at the United Nations, UNESCO, The US Senate, The Field Museum/Chicago, The Museum of the African Diaspora/San Francisco, The Norton Simon Museum/Pasadena, The Grand Rapids Public Museum and more. She lectures internationally, presented a TED talk in Dubai, and has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR and Voice of America programs among others. Paola serves on the advisory boards of three nonprofits: Rise Up/Let Girls Lead (which empowers girls to advocate for policy change), Pencils for Africa (a child-led initiative that aims to alter the narrative about Africa), and Global Grandmothers (who support children in need internationally). In 2013 Paola was listed among "40 Women to Watch Over 40," and in 2014, Women's e-News named her one of 21 Leaders for the 21st Century.
Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO of Global Fund for Women, was born in Kenya, Musimbi traces her passion for human rights, peace, and justice to her Quaker family and community. She is one of 10 children - every daughter given the same educational opportunities as the sons. "I want the same for every girl and woman, no exceptions," Musimbi has said. In 1998, Musimbi was general secretary (CEO) of the World YWCA and transformed it into a young-women-led organization. She was subsequently Director for Population and Reproductive Health at David and Lucile Packard Foundation. In 2014, she was named one of the 21 Women Leaders for the 21st Century by Women's E-News. In 2015, Forbes Magazine named her one of 10 women "power brands" working for gender equality. Musimbi has Ph.D.'s in both Linguistics and Feminist Theology.
* 100% of Gianturco’s royalties from Wonder Girls will go to the Global Fund for Women to fund groups of activist women and girls globally.
