Raising women with disabilities up through shared stories
Fired with dreams of becoming an artist from an early age, Holly Marsden long relied on art to bring her joy. However, art become so much more to her after she endured a vicious sexual assault. She turned to painting to get her through her darkest days and now guides others to pursue their passion for art. She believes, quite simply, that art has the power to save lives.
This young Danish woman has dedicated her life to saving Nigeria’s ‘witch children’. From one day to the next these children are branded a witch, ousted from their families, often tortured, sometimes murdered. Outraged at the horrific practice, Anja moved to Nigeria to rescue accused children. She then homes those she saves in an orphanage and seeks to overcome the horrors they’ve endured with the healing power of love.
Evie Farrell was drowning in the Sydney rat-race, disconnected from her five-year-old daughter and yearning for something more. After the unexpected death of a friend she decided enough was enough. She quit her job, rented out her house and embarked on an 18-month travel adventure to reconnect with her daughter. She has gained so much from the experience that she now urges other mums to unleash the chains of convention, swap possessions for memory-making and embrace the rich tapestry of experiences that travelling as a family can offer.
Shocked at the horrors of the Syrian refugee crisis, a young American mother is easing the burden for thousands of refugee families by donating thousands of baby carriers to people fleeing their war-ravaged homes. Through her now burgeoning charity Carry the Future, Cristal has not only helped refugees but also been personally transformed from a cynic to someone who is continually amazed by people’s genuine desire to do good in the world.
Parenting educator and author Maggie Dent has earned the love of a nation’s parents for her funny, practical and insightful advice on how to raise healthy and resilient children. What life path has Maggie travelled to become such an advocate for saving our stressed-out modern-day kids?
American dance instructor Lucy Wallace is transforming criminals serving long-term or life sentences by introducing them to the magic of dance. In doing so, she has forged powerful relationships with people she’d previously regarded with fear, had her preconceptions shattered, and discovered the beauty in regarding fellow human beings as they are, without the weight of judgement.
Carina Hoang fled South Vietnam in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, endured a traumatic escape from which she barely survived, and now returns to the Indonesian isles to which she once escaped on an annual pilgrimage to uncover the lost graves of other Vietnamese refugees. Guided by faith, spiritual belief and the knowledge it was so nearly her laying in an abandoned grave, her efforts are bringing desperately awaited relief to families yearning to give a proper burial to long-dead loved ones.
WA Australian of the Year for 2016 Anne Carey rose to fame for having the courage to volunteer to fight the ravages of the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone. She is now embarking on a new challenge – urging Australians to have the courage to be kind. She says it was courage that helped overcome Ebola, and it’s courage that can help stamp out two threats she sees facing Australia – the insidious culture of workplace bullying and discrimination against refugees.
Patricia Lavater has saved hundreds of lives through her work with troubled and drug-addicted young women. She takes women who’ve given up on life, and counsels them, helps them detox and, perhaps most importantly, reminds them of their inner potential.
Perth man Leif Cocks has dedicated his life to saving the orangutan through his not-for-profit charity The Orangutan Project. The battle has plunged him to the depths of despair as he has borne witness to the atrocities orangutans face. But it has also filled him with awe and delight for a creature with an enormous capacity for love.
When Karen Winnett’s daughter Eleanor was four months old she was advised her baby would unlikely live past two years old. Go home and love her while you’ve got the chance, she was advised. Or, worse, don’t get too attached as she won’t be with you for long. But this fiercely determined mother refused to listen. Through sheer grit, unflinching determination and steadfast denial Karen has kept her bright and intelligent daughter alive. This year Eleanor celebrated her 22nd birthday.
Jenny Bowen’s charity OneSky, formerly Half the Sky Foundation, has transformed the lives of more than 130,000 Chinese orphans by showering these unwanted children with the most important ingredient missing from their lives – love. How did one woman make such a difference to so many?