Empowered and Empowering Women

Tisna The Calang district of Indonesia where Tisna works as Education and Awareness Manager was hit hard by tsunami. Giant sea swells tore through coastal villages killing thousands. Survivors were left with a ravaged environment, difficult living conditions and few prospects. In restoring mangrove forest on the coast, Tisna created employment by organising repair of natural sea defences. She also brought about the necessary conditions to farm crabs and shrimp – a vital source of food, and income, locally. Six village leaders subsequently signed an agreement to ban forest clearance in their districts.

Rebecca Aldworth is director of Canadian Wildlife Issues for the Humane Society of the United States. For the past ten years, she has campaigned to stop commercial seal hunt in Canada. Every year, she serves as a witness to the hunt, bringing journalists, parliamentarians and scientists to observe the savage competition, which routinely involves skinning the animals alive. Aldworth’s tireless efforts to bring slaughter of seals into the public eye have paid off. This year, Greenland stopped its trade in Canadian sealskins — no small feat considering that over the past two years it has been the recipient of some 90,000 skins.

Theriault A Fredericton woman who picks up litter on her lunch hour has been recognized as an environmental leader by the provincial government in Canada. Theriault started picking up trash years ago. She works for the Health Department in downtown Fredericton. When she walks out of the building for lunch, she carries a bag and tidies up the mess left by other people.
“I don’t mind doing it,” she said. “It’s for our health, for the health of all of us, and for our environment.” Theriault’s recognition came because she has inspired other people to pick up trash and to stop littering in the first place.