Meg Ryan has joined the Half the Sky Movement, and will appear on the first night of “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.” The Half the Sky Movement aims to end the oppression of women and girls across the globe. Half the Sky combines videos, websites, games, blogs, and other tools to raise awareness of issues dealing with female oppression, but also provides steps to fight the problems to empower women. The Half the Sky Movement seeks to convince viewers and readers that progress and equality is entirely possible, and each individual can do their part to end oppression.
The Half the Sky Movement includes a book, a television series, Facebook game, other games, and informational tools. The Facebook game is titled Reaching Beyond “The Choir.” The movement works with Frima Studio as a part of the Games for Change initiative that allows gameplay to transform into activism in the real world. The game is focused on the quest to keep oppressed women and girls safe with actions that would occur in the real world, as well as receiving donations. The mobile games are also a part of the Games for Change initiative, supported by USAID. These games are focused on those in developing countries, since 65 percent of all mobile phone use in the world is located in those countries. The games will provide information on healthy births, de-worming, and the value of girls within families. The informational tools are located on PBS and Half the Sky.
The Half the Sky Movement’s PBS television and international broadcast television series is the part of the movement that Meg Ryan has decided to support and join. The series took part in 10 countries, which include India, Pakistan, Liberia, and the U.S. The movement was inspired by the journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s book, which holds the same name as the series (“Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide”). The series focuses on Nicholas Kristof, who travels with various A-list celebrities such as Meg Ryan. Other celebrities include America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Gabrielle Union, and Olivia Wilde.
The Half the Sky Movement television series shows multiple women and girls struggling against incredible odds in various countries. They are being oppressed in various ways and they fight to obtain empowerment and transform the societies that they live in. The series has already premiered in the United States on October 1, 2012.
Meg Ryan starred in multiple films, including “When Harry Met Sally” as Sally Allbright and “Sleepless in Seattle.” Finally, she starred in the romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail.” All three received a Golden Globe nomination. Although she is well-known for her work in the movie industry, she is also a well-known activist. She is a CARE ambassador, and traveled to India with the CARE program in 2006. CARE is a program that fights global poverty, but the focus is on poor women, and empowering those women to escape poverty through education, disease prevention, and access to clean water. She also went with Nicholas Kristof to Cambodia as part of the Somaly Mam Foundation, which aims to keep women and children safe from slavery.
Overall, Meg Ryan’s involvement in the Half the Sky Movement helps to raise awareness of the oppression of women and children, and hopefully, will inspire more people to get involved.
– Corina Balsamo
Sources: Half the Sky Movement, PBS, Huffington Post
Photo: Interactive.wxxi