It’s International Women’s Day. What greater reason to spend some time watching these inspiring videos from women across the world.
1. Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story.
We use this video as part of the preparation for our volunteers. A wonderful insight into why we need to avoid propagating stereotypes and the responsibility we have as storytellers of culture and development.
2. Isabel Allende tells tales of passion
Another storyteller, Isabel Allende inspires with stories from around the world illustrating the contributions of passionate women.
3. Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability
At Palms we are not afraid of being vulnerable. In fact, we know that letting down your defences and opening your hands to the world is often the first step to building meaningful relationships, which are both inherently worthy and also necessary to achieve any other sustainable development we might hope for.
4. Hawa Abdi + Deqo Mohamed: Mother and daughter doctor-heroes
In a refugee camp where 75% of the inhabitants are women and children, Doctor Abdi and Doctor Mohamed, give hope for peace and change with their hospital and school.
5. Zainab Salbi: Women, wartime and the dream of peace
Despite their circumstances, women in areas of conflict are the best suited to building peace, yet because they don’t carry a gun they are not given a place at the negotiation table.
6. Sunitha Krishnan fights sex slavery
We have all heard about the awful situation facing many women forced into sex slavery. Sunitha Krishnan shows what can be done and demands that we join her in ending this practice.
7. Nadia Al-Sakkaf: See Yemen through my eyes
So often we are given a single story of a place (see #1 above) or think that we can understand someone else’s reality without ever listening to them. It’s simpler and allows us to create a version which does not challenge our own worldview. This video provides a Yemeni woman’s perspective of her country, one which many outside the area know very little about.
8. Elizabeth Lesser: Take the other to lunch
Instead of pre-judging people you disagree with, you can gain a lot from listening. Listening to people you disagree with requires an intellectual honesty which may be difficult to access, but can help overcome simplistic caricatures and work towards a less divided world.
9. Karen Armstrong: A charter for compassion
Compassion, manifest in the golden rule, is shared by every religious tradition. Karen Armstrong’s wish is for us to place compassion back at the centre of our institutions, whether religious or secular.