I just came back from an amazing listening and learning trip to Honduras with actresses and ONE supporters America Ferrera and Alexis Bledel, and Claire Diaz-Ortiz, who leads social innovation at Twitter.
We went to witness how women and girls are both the worst impacted by extreme poverty, and also the “best bet” in development policy. Several studies have now shown that investments in women benefit not just women — which would be reason enough — but their families and communities as well.
We spent a week meeting with Honduran women who are doing incredible work improving their lives and those of their families and communities. Whether increasing field harvests on a farm in La Esperanza, revolutionizing a local school in La Ceiba, or guiding an innovative anti-violence youth program in Tegucigalpa, women were at the center of everything.
America, Alexis and Claire were great partners to have along with us. You may only know them from TV or film, or by reading your Twitter feed, but what you will see in the short film we created from the trip, or during a panel discussion they will take part in next Monday at the 2012 Mashable Social Good Summit, is that they are also passionate about development. They wanted to join us on this trip because they are committed to doing what they can to support women and girls in the world’s poorest countries — in Latin America and elsewhere — who are fighting for the simple opportunity to live up to their potential.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing a short film from the trip by Emmy-award winning filmmaker Jesse Dylan and his team at Wondros, along with photos, blog posts and more from those of us on the trip. Stay tuned for:
Twitter Chat: On Monday, September 24 at 12PM ET, ONE will be hosting a Twitter Chat with America, Alexis and Claire. They’ll be answering questions from ONE and those that come in to us at @ONECampaign hashtag #ONEchat, and sharing exclusive photos and thoughts about their trip to Honduras. Follow @ONECampaign and hashtag #ONEchat, and look out for tweets from @AmericaFerrera, @alexisbledel and @Claire.
Mashable Social Good Summit Panel Discussion: Watch a live stream of America, Alexis, Claire and Molly Kinder, ONE’s Director of Agriculture and Europe Policy, taking part in a panel discussion about social media, women and poverty at the Mashable Social Good Summit on Monday, September 24 at 3PM ET. Follow hashtag #sgsummit on Twitter to share your reaction to the film and get in on the conversation. Learn more about the panel here.
Personal reflections from America, Alexis and Claire: All three women will be sharing their personal reflections and exclusive photos from our trip to Honduras over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned to the ONE Blog to find out more.
In recent years, there has been a growing movement to put women at the center of development, and ONE is proud to be a part of that push.
