Women are Changing the World

Day 339- “Winners expect to win in advance. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy.” And the Oscar goes to Mo’Nigue and Kathryn Bigelow.

Today is International Women’s Day and is set aside to commemorate the achievements of women in politics, science and social change. The Huffington Post is one of my favorite places to get the news and today they featured 11 extraordinary women. I want to share 5 of them with you and hope you will seek to know more about them and their work on your own. These women are examples of the kinds of stories Rita O magazine will seek out in our quest to produce a work dedicated to purpose.

Yemeni girl Nujood Ali was 10 years old when she was forced to marry a man over 20 years her senior. She managed to find a lawyer and achieve a divorce, making her an international heroine in the fight for women's rights in the Middle East. She's now a bestselling author -- her autobiography, "I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced," is available now.

Somali model Waris Dirie revealed in the late 1990s that she had undergone genital mutilation and has since actively campaigned against the practice. She's established several foundations, one focusing on women's rights and dignity around the world, the other working to raise awareness about female genital mutilation.

With her award-winning play "The Vagina Monologues," Eve Ensler has been a leader in the global movement to end violence against women. Currently, Ensler's nonprofit organization V-Day is building a rehabilitation center for women affected by war and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kathryn Bigelow's influence has extended far beyond "The Hurt Locker." This Academy Award winning director has consistently pushed the boundaries of action filmmaking and explored the nature of violence in the movies. She is the first woman ever to win the Oscar for Best Director.

Somaly Mam was sold into sex slavery as child in Cambodia in the 1970s. After years of being raped daily and witnessing horrific atrocities, she escaped her captors and vowed to never forget what she saw. Today, her foundation seeks to free victims of human trafficking and end worldwide slavery.

We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.