women human rights workers

"The . . . journey of a girl from Africa whose near-death experience sparked a dream that changed the world. When severe drought hit her village in Zimbabwe, Elizabeth, then eight, had no idea that this moment of utter devastation would come to define her life purpose. Unable to move from hunger, she encountered a United Nations aid worker who gave her a bowl of warm porridge and saved her life. This transformative moment inspired Elizabeth to become a humanitarian, and she vowed to dedicate her life to giving back to her community, her continent, and the world. Grounded by the African concept of ubuntu--'I am because we are'--[this book] charts Elizabeth's quest in pursuit of her dream from the small village of Goromonzi to Harare, London, New York, and beyond, where she eventually became a Senior Advisor at the United Nations and launched HeForShe, one of the world's largest global solidarity movements for gender equality"--Provided by publisher.

Relates the abusive childhood experiences of Paula G?mez in Colombia and her escape to Canada where she decided to dedicate her life to help women and children in crisis.

The Iranian government tried everything to silence Shirin Ebadi: They arrested her, bugged her phones, attacked her home, shadowed her everywhere she went, seized her office, and nailed a death threat to her front door. But stopped Ebadi from her work as a human rights lawyer defending women, children, and the persecuted in Iran. After several years of harrassment and intimidation, the Iranian spy services turned their sights onto Ebadi's only weakness: those she loved the most, her family. First the authorities detained her daughter, then they laid a trap for her husband straight out of a spy novel. The Iranian government took everything from Shirin Ebadi--her marriage, her home, her property, her bank accounts, they even seized her Nobel Prize--but the one thing they could not take was her spirit and her desire for a better future for her country.

An autobiography of Dr. Hawa Abdi who founded a camp for displaced people from Mogadishu, Somalia saving countless women and children whose lives have been shattered by violence and poverty.

A compilation of writings, drawings, and poems by Rachel Corrie that provide insights into the thoughts and motivations that led her from her home in Olympia, Washington, to the Middle East where she was killed in 2003 while trying to block the demolition of a Palestinian family's home in the Gaza Strip.

Presents a brief biography of Guatemalan Indian rights activist, Rigoberta Menchu; and describes how her family was murdered and her fight to bring peace to her country.

A profile of Nobel Peace Prize-winner Rigoberta Menchu Tum, discussing her life in a small Guatemalan village, the deaths of her mother, father, and brother at the hands of the military, and her efforts to protect the human rights of the country's indigenous people.