Though my Internet browsing usually reaps little reward, I was inspired by what I came across online this past week. I stumbled upon a description of Woman as Hero, an ASU advocacy organization whose mission is to motivate women and men globally and locally to empower girls and women through education and entrepreneurship.
Definitely don’t have to ask me twice to sign up.
Having recognized the president of the club, Nesima Aberra, I asked her if we could meet up Saturday morning so I could find out more about what this club means to her and how the club plans to approach the issues it’s taken on.
While most college students struggle to cohesively answer what they want for breakfast on Saturday mornings, Nesima offered an in-depth and encouraging explanation on how investing in women’s success around the world is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and oppression.
Nesima has always had an interest in humanitarian issues, but it was over the past year that her focus honed in on women’s struggles. Once she began wearing the hijab, she became more aware of what she thought being a woman meant and represented.
“Before that, being a woman didn't hit my consciousness as it didn't directly affect my life or how people perceived me,” she says. “I realized soon after it would be naive to think everyone would find me as a visibly apparent Muslim woman interested in social justice as normal or ordinary, and I wanted to know why that was... You should be able to be Muslim and wear a hijab and be a legitimate human rights advocate or women's rights advocate. In fact, all you should have to be is human.”
Her efforts to resist categorization motivated her to encourage others to think about preconceived notions regarding women and to also consider the complex religious, political, economic, and social factors that deter women from success in developing countries.
Honestly, Nesima’s eloquence and poise in discussing what matters to her was really something. She mentioned that her ideas and inspiration came from the book “Half the Sky” coauthored by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Woman as Hero means to evoke strength and leadership in girls and women by offering them tools and resources to pursue the goal of their choice, whether that means seeking an education or starting a business. By helping to realize women's power as economic catalysts, they hope to diminish women’s marginalization in other communities.
The club mainly supports The Girl Effect, CAMFED, Girl Up (UN Foundation) and Women for Women International, and the organization plans to expand through fundraising, awareness campaigns, and activist training. As their first event, Woman As Hero has planned a screening of the documentary “To Educate a Girl” for Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in Discovery 150 on the Tempe campus (look for a future post about the showing).
At the end of our conversation, Nesima simply yet insightfully added, “There’s something about supporting women that transforms a community. I know this is a step in the right direction.”
