Women who light the dark

the long version

Across the world, local women are helping one another tackle problems that darken their lives. These women lack material resources, but they possess a wealth of a more precious resource: imagination. Photojournalist Paola Gianturco shows how Moroccan women create and produce plays that educate illiterate people about women's rights; girls in Zimbabwe compose and perform poems that move communities to fight child rape; and Brazilian math teachers inspire girls from the favelas to learn math by originating fashion shows. Sometimes imagination takes the form of innovative strategies: in Nicaragua, women become welders, carpenters and electricians--all supposedly men's jobs. In Kenya, mothers get wells dug at schools so their daughters can bring water home from class rather than walking seven hours to fetch it. In the US, activists introduce women with disabilities to ropes courses, camping, whitewater rafting, and swimming, empowering them to lead.--From publisher description.