Women Beyond Borders

In order to understand the advocacy efforts of Women Beyond Borders, it is essential to understand that WBB was the first student group to suggest that advocacy for women in other countries was a priority. This was no easy task.  As can be imagined, it was an enormous challenge to convince college women that the plight of a woman under a burqa in Afghanistan matters, that this matter is personal to us in the West, and that the actions we take in Tempe , Arizona can directly affect the plight of women in Kabul .  The WBB approached this challenge by first hosting educational film screenings, which has evolved to include providing presentations on women in Afghanistan and selling crafts made by the women in Afghanistan to benefit those women.  Over the past two years, these projects have gone even further to include organizing a “Sew-In” overnight fundraiser, organizing a global women’s activism book club, developing a program to sponsor teachers in Afghanistan, and organizing an art exhibit to benefit women in Juarez.   In their work to support women around the world through local efforts, the activists of WBB have directly confronted the resistance, discomfort and fear that prevents so many people in our culture from acknowledging disparities.  The work undertaken by these activists embodied the message that advocacy for women is should never be limited to our immediate environment, but that it should extend beyond our borders.