Middle East | Iran | Activism

The Woman Who Broke the Rules and Made History by Running the First International Marathon in Iran

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On the second Saturday of April, 44-year-old Mahsa Torabi put on a pair of black running pants and a blue sweater with green reflective stripes. That day, she would become the first woman to ever publicly finish a marathon in Iran. She chose a pink-patterned hijab, and she set out for Naqsh-e Rustam, an ancient necropolis in Fars Province, right across the Persian Gulf from Kuwait. It was 6 a.m., and the only sign that the first international marathon in Iran’s history would take place that morning was a ribbon across the starting line. Torabi took one photo in the dark of the desolate cour
Africa | Kenya | Activism

​MEET THE NUN DETERMINED TO END FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

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Sister Ephigenia Gachiri is one bad ass chick, but she doesn't think of herself that way and flinches when you call her that. Like a lot of the Catholic nuns I have met and interviewed over the years, Ephigenia, whose friends call her Ephi, is modest about the fact that she is literally changing the world and the lives of thousands of young girls. In person she is warm, compassionate, and assertive. She hugged me and kissed me on both cheeks the first time we met before insisting I eat some snacks — homemade fried dough. We had a lot to talk about, she told me, and I might get hungry. "
South Asia | India | Activism

Thousands of Women in India Create World’s Largest Crochet Blanket

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The all-woman team made a blanket the size of a soccer-pitch It took over two thousand women, six months and lots of yarn to break the Guinness World Record for largest crochet blanket on Sunday in the city of Chennai, India. The efforts of the all-female group of crocheting enthusiasts— known as Mother’s India’s Crochet Queens— payed off on Jan. 31, when they broke South Africa’s record. Their finished product was a 120 thousand square-foot blanket, around the size of a soccer pitch. It is reported that the blanket was disassembled and sections donated to needy Indian f
North America | United States | Activism

Girl power: Fund awards $1,000 scholarships to 1,000 women

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Christie Garton is helping women reach their dreams one scholarship at a time. Last January, Garton, a social entrepreneur and author of The College Girl’s Guide to Everything, launched the 1,000 Dreams Fund, a program that provides $1,000 scholarships to young women working to reach their dreams. “Any support women can get at this life stage can truly change their lives,” says Garton. The program, funded by outside donors, has been live for nearly a year and, so far, has awarded 20 scholarships to high school- and college-aged women. Garton’s initial goal is to award the mone
Asia | China | Activism

100 women did yoga on that vertigo-inducing glass bridge in China

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A group of 100 fearless women got together for a photoshoot on a glass bridge in China, which spans 900 feet and hangs a vertical 600 feet over the bottom of a gorge between two mountains. The plexiglass bridge was just opened in late September this year in Shiniuzhai park in Pinjiang County, in China's Hunan province. Local reports have billed the yoga stunt as a gathering of yoga enthusiasts, but given the ladies' identical outfits and presence of news photographers, it's likely a publicity exercise for the park.
South Asia | Afghanistan | Activism

‘Afghan Malala’ Speaks Up for Refugee Children

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At the age of just 14, Afghan rights activist Aziza Rahimzada has already surmounted legal hurdles preventing 25,000 refugee children from attending school, and cajoled authorities into providing tap water to a camp housing more than 100 families. Now she has been nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize an award previously won by Malala Yousafzai and, like her Pakistani counterpart, hopes to spread her message of universal education and fundamental rights for Afghanistan's youth. "These children are the products of war," Aziza says during an interview with AFP from the Kab
Africa | Nigeria | Activism

Amina Yusuf: Nigeria’s Malala

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When Amina Yusuf met the world’s most famous education activist, Malala Yousafzai, it had both a huge impact on her and a ripple effect on girls in Nigeria. Amina Yusuf was one of five girls selected to join Malala Yousafzai when she accepted her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Amina, 18, received a scholarship from the Center for Girls’ Education, Population and Reproductive Health Initiative,  a collaboration between The Bixby Centre, University of California, Berkeley and the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. She’s now a mentor at the centre and is on an unstoppable
South Asia | Nepal | Activism

The former child soldier turned star athlete blazing a trail for women in Nepal

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Mira Rai is a low-profile type of national hero. When she walked through Nepal’s crowded international airport last week, no one made much of a fuss. On the streets of Kathmandu, the south Asian nation’s capital, more people notice the brightly coloured, brand new sports clothes than the slight 25-year-old who wears them. The anonymity may not last long. Eighteen months ago, Rai was just another young Nepalese from a desperately village who grew up never sure of two, let alone three meals in a day. Now the former Maoist child soldier is winning international races in one of the world’
North America | United States | Activism

This incredible 16-year-old girl challenged herself to a bike ride across America to support girls around the world. And she did it.

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Last month we told you about Leah Adelman, a 16-year-old rockstar who was biking her way across America to raise funds to support the empowerment of girls around the world. You read about her first rest day in Georgia, her days starting at 4:00 AM, and the rural and often poverty-stricken areas she rode through. Throughout her journey we heard from a number of you supporting Leah and cheering her on. And everyone had the same question: “How does the story end?” Well, ask and you shall receive! Here is a final post from Leah about her ride across the United States: August 12 Whe
South Asia | Nepal | Activism

Here’s how two girls from Nepal brought attention to the inequality facing women around the world

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Students Jharana and Sirjana were tired of gender inequality, so they made a plan. In their home country of Nepal, women are far less likely than men to be educated. While today's generation of girls is receiving at least a basic education (91% of girls attend primary school), they're still viewed as being "less than" men when it comes to looking for a career. To raise awareness of the inequality facing Nepalese women in education and career opportunities, they began recruiting classmates to participate in a 5k run for women's equality. 350 runners took part in the 5k, making it a run
Middle East | Iran | Activism

Soccer Catches On Among Iranian Women Despite Ban On Attending Matches

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In Iran, women are strongly discouraged from attending soccer matches in public. So those female soccer fans aren't sitting on the sidelines anymore -- they're playing the game themselves. Even in Iran's oppressive culture, revolution is happening. A generation of females is playing soccer as never before. That's no exaggeration: As recently as 2005, there were no Iranian women playing organized soccer in the country. According to a new feature by Bill Spindle in The Wall Street Journal, that number is now up to 4,000 and growing. At the heart of this change is an Iranian-American wom
Europe | Great Britain | Activism

Women’s Institute at 100: as pleasingly bolshie as ever

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There may well be a man or two concealed somewhere in the vast expanse of the Royal Albert Hall, but if there are indeed any members of the weaker sex present, they had better not hear the urgent tinkle of nature’s call. Five-thousand members of the Women’s Institute have gathered to mark 100 years of their foundation, and as the defiant “Ladies’ Toilet” signs stuck on the doors of the gents’ affirm, for one day at least, this is decidedly a women’s world. A century after the first group of determined women gathered in a shed in the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll on Anglesey,
Middle East | UAE | Activism

Abu Dhabi women set up first female Emirati leadership group

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When a group of high-flying Emirati women wanted to network with like-minded females, they struggled to find the right platform. Existing organisations focused on learning how to strike deals, so the group decided to set up their own. Qiyadiyat (meaning “female leaders” in Arabic), is Abu Dhabi’s first Emirati female leadership platform. It was created last year by a group of friends in management positions to develop, inspire and provide networking opportunities for fellow Emirati working women. “In the past when Emirati working women got together, they’d have what I call the
Middle East | Dubai | Activism

On Dubai’s roads, women hop on Harleys and shatter stereotypes

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"When I ride, I feel like I own the world." That's how Dana Adam describes her experience riding a motorcycle — a Harley-Davidson, no less — across the expansive highways of Dubai. Dana Adam isn't her real name; she's using a pseudonym because she's from a powerful, conservative family in Yemen, where riding a motorcycle was just a dream. "It's not acceptable in Yemen," she says. "No lady rides on a bike. My family never let me do it." But in Dubai, Dana is following her dream — and she's not the only one. There's a whole group of female riders in Dubai, and reporter