Tag Archives: nicholas kristof

Half the Sky: Making a Difference Through Economic Empowerment

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When women have equal control over their finances and the financial decision-making on the personal, community, and national levels, everyone benefits. 

Known as the ‘cradle of humanity’, one-fifth of the Kenyan population lives on less than $1.25 a day. A country known for their world-class runners and safari adventures, Kenya is mired in poverty.

Ingrid Munro is the founder of Jamii Bora, a microfinance organization based in Nairobi, Kenya. In a country where 50% of the population lives below the poverty line, microfinance, health insurance, life insurance, and business school seem to be some of the best solutions to the countrywide struggle.

Microfinance is the practice of providing financial services—such as loans, savings, and insurance—to people with limited income and resources, who are typically excluded from the formal banking sector. These services include small loans (sometimes as little as $100) or savings plans to start a business or invest in income-generating projects. Continue reading →

Investing in Education

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Educating the world’s girls and women is one of the best social development investments to be made. But despite gains in access to education, keeping girls in school remains a struggle in the developing world.

What started with a case of job burnout and a much needed backpacking trip to Nepal for John Wood, soon evolved into a highly effective non-profit organization focused on literacy and gender equality in education in the developing world.

After a chance visit to a school in the Himalayas, Wood was shocked to discover that the few precious books the school owned were locked up in order to protect them from the students. Dismayed by this lack of access, John reacted by collecting over 3,000 book donations and returned the following year, with eight book-bearing donkeys in tow. It was the reaction of the children that spurred John to then leave the corporate world and create Room to Read in 1999, with the mission to build schools and establish libraries in these underdeveloped areas.

In the PBS documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, audiences meet an array of individuals who battle against the various social issues that plague women and girls in developing countries. The poor living conditions and lack of opportunity found in countries such as Kenya, Cambodia, and India are met with the fierce resilience of aid organizations, such as Room to Read, who are unwilling to surrender to the brutal and unyielding cycle of poverty. Continue reading →

Sex Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

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At any given moment, an estimated 2.4 million people around the world are the victims of human trafficking. In the Independent Lens documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, celebrity activist and CARE Ambassador Meg Ryan travels to Cambodia with Nicholas Kristof to visit Somaly Mam with the Somaly Mam Foundation, a nonprofit charity committed to ending modern day slavery and empowering its survivors to be part of the solution. 

In a society where females are considered the insignificant sex, Cambodia is a country where most uneducated young girls are likely to not only be raped, but killed as well. The most common form of human trafficking in Cambodia is sexual exploitation. According to TWN, today, there are an estimated 57,000 commercial sex workers in Cambodia.

Human-rights advocate Somaly Mam is the founder and president of the Somaly Mam Foundation in Cambodia. At a young age Somaly was raped, trafficked, and brutally mistreated by her brothel owners. She was forced into prostitution against her will and witnessed her best friend’s murder by one of the brothel owners. Fortunately, she managed to escape and break free from the chains of sexual exploitation.

Today, Somaly considers herself as the mother and grandmother of all the suffering girls who have been sex slaves in Cambodia. Her mission is to help victims become survivors. Once the girls are rescued, they are often rejected by their families and by society due to the self-perpetuating sex trade industry. The Half the Sky Movement website states, “Once girls are sold into sex slavery, they often know nothing else and are so stigmatized that they remain in the trade, even when that means selling sex voluntarily.” Fortunately, Somaly educates these girls and helps create a more promising future for them. Continue reading →

‘When Mothers Are Saved, Families Are Saved’: Half the Sky Addresses Maternal Mortality

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In many developing countries, pregnancy may as well be considered a death sentence. With the premiere of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide just a week away, we felt it was the perfect time to provide a primer of sorts on the various issues highlighted in this special two-night broadcast event. Throughout this next week, Beyond the Box will delve into issues ranging from economic empowerment to intergenerational prostitution, linking many of the problems women face today with the solutions outlined in Half the Sky.

Imagine a world where women are treated as second-class citizens, a world where becoming pregnant is dangerous because women have a 1 in 12 chance of dying from giving birth.

No imagination is required in Somaliland where problems like these are a reality for many women.

Severe bleeding, infections, eclampsia, and obstructed labor are some of the leading causes of maternal deaths in developing countries. All of these symptoms are increasingly likely with women who have received Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Considered a common traditional practice for many cultures in Somaliland (as well as many areas in the western, eastern, and north-easternregions of Africa), FGM is commonly performed on girls before they reach puberty. FGM is also performed on women before marriage or during their first pregnancy.

It is estimated that between 100 million and 140 million girls and women worldwide have been subjected to FGC (Female Genital Circumcision). There are more than 3 million girls at risk of forced FGC each year.

Edna Adan, founder of Edna Adan University Hospital in Somaliland, is a women’s health advocate who is against FGM. Known as the Mother Teresa of Somaliland, Edna is a woman who has experienced FGM firsthand.  As a midwife and nurse, she has witnessed the pain and damaging effects FGM has caused many of her patients. Continue reading →

Independent Lens Takes on TCA!

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Over the course of the next two weeks, journalists and television critics will be flocking to the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles for the biannual Television Critics Association (TCA) Press Tour in Los Angeles for a chance to preview upcoming programs from major broadcast and cable networks.

This weekend, PBS is prominently featuring Independent Lens with two panels in support of next season’s programming.

First up is a special presentation of Byron Hurt’s Soul Food Junkies, a documentary that explores the ups and downs of soul food, a quintessential American cuisine.

On Saturday morning, journalists are invited to enjoy a soul food-inspired breakfast before heading over to a panel featuring director Byron Hurt, comedian and key subject of the documentary Dick Gregory, and Independent Lens host Mary-Louise Parker for a lively conversation centered around the film.
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Half the Sky Wins New Fans at PBS Annual Meeting

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By Tamara Gould
Vice President, ITVS International

Based on the bestselling book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky will premiere as a special presentation on Independent Lens in October 2012. The project is a cornerstone of the Women and Girls Lead campaign and was on display at last week’s PBS Annual Meeting in Denver.

Just back from the PBS annual meeting in Denver and was absolutely thrilled by the response from stations to the upcoming Half the Sky series, which will air on October 1 and 2 as a special presentation of Independent Lens.

This project has been several years in the making, taking up the ambitious work of New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn who wrote Half the Sky to highlight the challenges that women and girls are facing worldwide — issues like trafficking, maternal health, female genital mutilation, and gender based violence.
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Good Vibes Coming Out of the PBS Annual Meeting

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By Kathleen Unwin, Current

What a great week in Denver! There was a renewed sense of optimism and purpose among our public television colleagues. Many stations reported good revenue news and the programming looks very promising.

I don’t normally promote programming directly, but I have to say a standout moment for me was watching clips for the upcoming program Half the Sky, the centerpiece of the Women and Girls Lead initiative headed up by ITVS. This is truly a cross-platform media event that will have impact and change lives. It features powerful stories of hope and survival from women around the world. If you are not familiar with the book by from journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, grab it and then tune into your local PBS station October 1st and 2nd.

Some of the courageous women featured in Half the Sky were in attendance, selling their beautiful baskets to help better their lives in Africa. I bought a beautiful necklace and basket to benefit the Umoja Uaso Women’s Group in Kenya, a refuge for victims of domestic abuse. You can learn more about their good work at Umoja Uaso Women’s Fund.

Having the opportunity to attend this conference reminds me of how fortunate we are to be working in public media. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with so many of our readers and advertisers. If I did not get the chance to catch up with you in Denver, I hope that perhaps I will see you in Seattle at the PMDMC!

This article was originally posted on Current.org.

Nicholas Kristof’s Reports for Half The Sky Underway

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The New York Times op-ed columnist is behind the recently announced primetime television special Half The Sky, which premieres on PBS’s Independent Lens in Fall 2012.

America Ferrera recently joined Nicholas Kristof in India to focus on the problem of human trafficking

Last month, BTB unveiled ITVS and CPB’s investment in Half The Sky, a primetime television special and multi-platform project based on New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s widely acclaimed book, Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The series will premiere as a special presentation on Independent Lens in Fall 2012 and is a cornerstone of the recently announced Women and Girls Lead campaign.

Some of today’s finest actresses and spokespeople have been tapped to engage with the subjects on the ground and broaden the understanding for viewers of the issues at hand, including Diane Lane, who recently traveled to Somaliland, and America Ferrera, who joined Kristof last month in India to focus on the problem of human trafficking.
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ITVS Announces Funding and Production of Half the Sky for Primetime PBS Broadcast

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Based on the bestselling book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the series will premiere as a special presentation on Independent Lens in Fall 2012. The project is a cornerstone of the recently announced Women and Girls Lead campaign.


ITVS announced today that it, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has made a significant investment in Half The Sky, a primetime television special and multi-platform project based on New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s widely acclaimed book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.
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