KANEKO Programs feature Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Sheryl WuDunn, with Sweeta Noori, Afghanistan Country Director, Women for Women International..

Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, will give a Great Minds Presentation at KANEKO on Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm in the Bow Truss. Published September 2009 and already in its 6th printing, Half the Sky is described as a 21st century manifesto on human rights. WuDunn wrote the bookwith her husband, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. The two journalists are receiving wide-spread acclaim for their inspiring stories about women in developing countries and for their pragmatic recommendations for improving economic and social conditions worldwide. “The best way to fight poverty and extremism is to educate and empower women and girls,” state Kristof and WuDunn, who also founded Half the Sky Movement to help further those aims.

Joining WuDunn for the event is Sweeta Noori, Afghanistan Country Director for Women for Women International, one of the organizations highlighted in Half the Sky. Following WuDunn’s presentation, Noori and WuDunn will engage in conversation and respond to questions from the audience. The program will be moderated by Carol Kloss of KETV Newswatch 7. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students.

On Friday, October 23, Noori will give a presentation on her work at a luncheon co-sponsored by the UNO Center for Afghanistan Studies. The program, Creating Hope through Creative Opportunities: Obstacles and Opportunities for Women in Afghanistan, will be held at the Scott Conference Center, 12:00 - 1:30 pm. Tickets for the program, including the luncheon, are $12 general admission and $8 for students. Noori directs programs that have helped over 20,000 women in Afghanistan through microcredit loans, direct financial assistance, education and vocational training. She was also instrumental in helping women to register and vote in the historic elections. Noori’s work exemplifies the type of local, grass roots social entrepreneurship and education efforts that Kristof and WuDunn call for in Half the Sky.

While in Omaha, Noori and WuDunn will participate in several community and education outreach programs, including a Conversation with Sweeta Noori, on Friday, October 23, from 10 - 11 am, in the Gross Auditorium at the College of Saint Mary. The program is open to secondary school students and their teachers, and to undergraduates and faculty. There is no charge for the event. To register a group, contact jacquie@thekaneko.org.

Many local students and teachers received free copies of Half the Sky, which KANEKO distributed throughout the community. Focusing on specific women, Kristof and WuDunn show how some women in developing countries bravely overcome adversity and cultivate prosperity and hope, often through creative collaborations. The authors conclude with “What You Can Do,” a practical, compelling guide to how readers can easily support the education and economic advancement of women. A public book discussion of Half the Sky will be held at the W. Dale Clark Library on Wednesday, October 21, at 7 pm.

The bookis described as a “powerful piece of journalism” by Tom Brokaw. Featured on the Oprah Winfrey show in early October, Half the Sky is credited with helping to generate $3.5 million in donations to non-government organizations and over 10,000 new sponsorships for Women for Women International through the show’s website in under one week.

The book’s title, Half the Sky, is taken from the Chinese proverb, “Women hold up half the sky.” Kristof and WuDunn equate the challenges faced by many women today with the “moral challenge of slavery” during the 1800’s, and the “battle against totalitarianism” during the 1900’s. “This century,” state Kristof and WuDunn, “the oppression of women worldwide is the human rights cause of our time.”

Tickets for the events can be purchased at www.thekaneko.org or by calling KANEKO at 402.341.3800.

The KANEKO Fall 2009 Program Series received generous support from: The Henry A. Davis Foundation, The Nebraska Humanities Council,
The University of Nebraska, Clark Creative Group, the UNO Center for Afghanistan Studies, and Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater. Program partners also include the College of Saint Mary, Omaha Public Library and the Omaha Public Schools.

CONTACT: For additional information, e-mail Jacqueline Scoones at jacquie@thekaneko.org or call 402.341.3800, x 103.

KANEKO 1111 Jones Street Omaha, NE  68102
402.341.3800 www.thekaneko.org 

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