Teach a Woman to Fish: Overcoming Poverty Around the Globe

Sharma, cofounder of Women Thrive Worldwide (“a small but feisty group that advocates for the priorities of women and families who live on less than a dollar a day”) reports on her travels through Sri Lanka, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Burkina Faso as she surveys, serves, and advocates for women, focusing by turns on manufacturing, agriculture, and education. Overcoming the forces that keep women poor, she persuasively argues, has global effect. Sure to appeal to activists, the book offers an on-the-ground account of one organization’s efforts and its strategies for instituting change. The more abstract role of governments and corporations, the labyrinthine process of legislation, and a plethora of acronyms gain immediacy through Sharma’s experiences and the accounts of the women she serves. In reporting on “exploitation and abuse” endured in the workplace, on the farm, and in seeking schooling, she wants to provoke positive change; thus, she concludes each segment with “What You Can Do For” each of the four communities. 3 photo inserts. [em]Agent: Joelle Delbourgo, Joelle Delbourgo Assoc. (June) [/em]