Meet the People Extraordinaire – Zuly Sanguino

Our guest this month on People Extraordinaire is – Zuly Sanguino. Born with Tetra-amelia syndrome, an extremely rare autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs, it has been a difficult life for Zuly Sanguino, a 26 year-old Colombian artist and motivational speaker. Subjected to bullying and sexual abuse from a very young age, Zuly made several suicide attempts. After hitting rock …

Meet the People Extraordinaire – Leslee Udwin

Leslee Udwin is a filmmaker (producer and director) and human rights campaigner and is no stranger to successfull campaigning films. Leslee’s first documentary feature and her debut as a director, multi-award winning “India’s Daughter”, has been critically acclaimed around the globe, provoked a global discussion about gender equality and violation of the rights of women and girls, and sparked a movement. …

Meet the People Extraordinaire – Emily May

Emily May is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Hollaback!, an international leader in the anti-street-harassment movement. In 2005, at the age of 24, she co-founded Hollaback! in New York City.  Hollaback!’s mission is to give women and LGBTQ folks an empowered response to street harassment, and ultimately, to end it.  Tell us a bit about your early life and education. What experiences most …

Meet the People Extraordinaire – Arunachalam Muruganantham

Arunachalam Muruganantham is the founder of Jayaashree Industries. He created, designed, and implemented a system of small-scale sanitary napkin-making machines that improve hygiene and dignity for millions of underprivileged women worldwide.  Mr. Muruganantham is extremely passionate about increasing awareness about menstruation in rural communities, where girls are often forced to drop out of school around puberty. He has earned multiple awards for his …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Dr. Catherine Hamlin

  Dr. Catherine Hamlin is an Australian gynaecologist who has spent most of her life in Ethiopia. A recipient of numerous awards, Catherine has revolutionized care of a childbirth injury called obstetric fistula, which occurs when the baby gets stuck in the birth canal and there is no doctor to perform a cesarean section. Dr. Hamlin and her late husband, Dr. Reginald …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Shilo Shiv Suleman

Shilo Shiv Suleman is an Indian animator, illustrator and visual artist based in the city of Bangalore. Her primary area of interest is visual storytelling through multiple mediums. Shilo’s practice focuses on the intersection of magical realism, art for social change and technology. She illustrated her first book for children at the age of 16 and has illustrated eight others since …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Urmi Basu

Urmi Basu set up a small nonprofit named New Light in Kolkata in 2000 with a seed money as little as Rs 10,000/- along with two other young people from the Kalighat red light district. Today, New Light is a comprehensive community development project that provides shelter, education, health care, nutritional support, HIV care and the opportunity to live a …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Dame Edna Adan Ismail

Edna Adan Ismail is the director and founder of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland and an activist and pioneer in the struggle for the abolition of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She was the only woman minister in the Somaliland government until July 2006. In 2007, her name was added to the Medical Mission Hall of Fame of the University of Toledo, …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Dr. Ranjana Kumari

Dr. Ranjana Kumari is a renowned academician and social activist, who currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Social Research in Delhi, as well as the Chairperson of Women Power Connect, a national level organization of women’s groups. Lotus Leadership Award winner (2015), Dr. Kumari has dedicated her life to empowering women across South Asia, and has authored many well-known publications. Congratulations …