“Across the world local women are helping one another tackle the problems that darken their lives – domestic violence, sex trafficking, war, poverty, illiteracy, discrimination, inequality, malnutrition, disease. These women may lack material resources, but they possess a wealth of an even more precious resource: imagination.  And their imaginations light the dark." So begins Women Who Light the Dark, photojournalist Paola Gianturco’s latest journey into the lives of women around the world.

The book, a series of vignettes and photographs, highlights women and organizations in 15 countries who are using innovative methods to tackle some of their society's most intractable problems – from child rape in Zimbabwe to unemployment in Nepal, from discrimination in Slovakia to legal inequality in Morocco.

Gianturco, whose work has been exhibited by the United Nations and published in magazines and newspapers around the world, gives readers rare insights into the reality of the women’s lives. In Morocco, unequal inheritance laws (up until recently, a son received twice a daughter's share) make it harder for women to escape poverty. In Vietnam, beliefs such as, “Women are stupid and nonsense so they have to tolerate, accept, even if they don’t consent,” make a local group’s goal of ending domestic violence even harder.

As diverse as they are, the “women who light the dark” share similar strengths. One is their entrepreneurial spirit and the inventiveness with which they use whatever skills and resources they can to create sustainable solutions for the suffering around them. In India, Inderjit Khurana was saddened by the homeless children who stood outside her schoolroom – just a few of the 20 million living on India's streets. Inderjit “made a commitment that whenever I had the means, I would take school to these children.” On April 7, 1985, she and a friend “set up shop” on a local train platform and with storybooks, pencils, paper crayons, towels and soap, Inderjit taught eleven children right there at the train station. As of 2006, Inderjit’s organization, Ruchika Social Service Organization, served about 4,000 children, 350 of which attend its twelve Train Platforms Schools.

These women share a sense of responsibility not just to themselves and their families, but to their communities. In 1987, Amanda Centeno Espinoza, who was kidnapped at the age of 19 by soldiers and grew up amid war and poverty in Nicaragua, decided to provide indigent women in her town “with job options beyond poorly paid domestic and agricultural work.”  Amanda started Mujeres Constructoras, workshops that teach women carpentry and construction; “once the women had a workshop, they continued to share their knowledge and teach each other.” After Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the tradeswomen of Mujeres Constructoras “set to work building houses for single women whose homes had been destroyed” – creating opportunities not just for themselves but for their neighbors as well.

Women Who Light the Dark is a powerful testament to the importance of investing in women living in poverty worldwide. Clearly written and visually stunning, it leaves readers hopeful and confident in the power all women have to change the world.

This story is adapted from a story told on the website of the Women’s Edge Coalition, which includes more than 40 organizations and 15,000 individuals committed to the economic empowerment of women and girls worldwide. The coalition was founded in 1998 to bring the priorities of poor women worldwide to policy makers in Washington, DC, the American capital city.

Women's Edge Coalition, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20009, USA. Email.

For other stories about homelessness and the homeless, see:

Canadian website brings gifts to city's homeless

Young girl's Ladybug Foundation brings hope, support to Canada's homeless

Shining shoes in London offers escape from homelessness

Childrens' bank turns street children into entrepreneurs

Volunteers build home for South African AIDS orphan family

Homeless World Cup changes lives, attitudes about homelessness

Irish volunteers build brick houses for homeless South Africans