Today marks the second annual World Food Day—instituted by the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and 262 private voluntary organizations as a day to observe the international state of hunger and food distribution. It came to light earlier this year that Americans waste 40 percent of their food every day, while 1 in 7 worldwide do not receive enough nutrition, according to the U.N. How can the scale be tipped back into balance? This is the question World Food Day seeks to illuminate at a local and global level.
Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani who was targeted and shot by the Taliban for speaking publicly about her right to education, is being flown to Britain for specialized care. When Malala was shot by Taliban gunmen on her schoolbus last Tuesday, she quickly became an icon of inspiration for her bold stand for human rights. Ever since, the world has waited, hoped and prayed for her full recovery from the gunshot wounds. And now that she is en route to specialized rehabilitation, doctors are hopeful about her condition.
In South African township Soweto, women who have long struggled under the effects of poverty and apartheid are finding new entrepreneurial opportunities through Avon. Where unemployment rates are high, these women are launching their own businesses selling makeup, hair products and perfume—and because of it, they are earning income comparable to an employed man’s monthly earnings.
In honor of International Day of the Girl, CNN in partnership with global organization 10×10 has asked women around the world to fill in the blank: Girls + Education = _________. The result, in photos, is a striking collection of human inspiration and strength.
As many today observe this day and attempt to right the wrongs that often fall to women across the world, the various answers to this equation, as these girls see it, could stir global change.
Invisible Children co-founder Jason Russell has been out of the public eye since his #Kony12 video went viral last March, followed by his public breakdown. But last night, Russell reappeared to talk to Oprah about what happened, what’s next for Invisible Children and why he’s still fighting to free child soldiers around the world.