Eye Break: John Kenny

So 

beautiful

I

could

die.

These are just a few of the ravishing, mind-bogglingly gorgeous photographs that John Kenny took during his travels through Africa. There are so many beautiful portraits it was almost impossible to choose, but the ones that really drew me in were of women - perhaps because I've been reading this heartwrenching excerpt from Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's important book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. 

Women's health and empowerment is a concern near to my heart (don't even get me started on female genital mutilation or I will talk your ear off AND cry), and I feel incredibly inspired by the people who are bringing it to the world stage with renewed commitment - and insisting that it's not merely a women's issue, but a world issue. It goes without saying that Kristoff and WuDunn are rock stars for writing this book. But I'm also loving Hilary Clinton in this article and have faith that she will push the agenda forward wherever she travels.

Kristoff lists a number of practical ways we can help women worldwide in this article, which I except below:

Choose a woman to lend to on kiva.org. The minimum amount is $25, and you can choose from people all over the world. The money will be used to support a business and will be paid back. Or go to globalgiving.com, find a woman abroad whose cause you identify with and make a small gift. On GlobalGiving, for example, we have supported a program to prevent runaway girls from being trafficked into brothels.

Sponsor a girl abroad through one of the many child-sponsorship organizations. We do so through Plan USA, but there are many other great ones, including Women for Women International.

Become an advocate for change by joining the CARE Action Network at care.org. CARE is now focused on assisting women and girls for the pragmatic reason that that is where it can get the best results. The network helps people speak out and educate policy makers about global poverty.

Find a cause that resonates with you, learn more about it and adopt it. For example, we send checks to support an extraordinary Somali woman, Edna Adan, who has invested her savings and her soul in her own maternity hospital in Somaliland (ednahospital.org). Even school kids can make a difference. Jordana Confino, an eighth grader in Westfield, N.J., started an initiative with friends to help girls go to school in poor countries. The effort grew to become Girls Learn International (girlslearn.org), which now pairs American middle schools and high schools with needy classrooms in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

I've been hearing about the benefits of micro-lending as a means of economic empowerment - have any of you tried this, and if so, what was your experience?