‘A Powerful Noise’ highlights plight of oppressed women

Women are fleeing their homes and being abused economically in Mali, one of the three poorest nations on the globe. In Bosnia, women aren't being given an opportunity to support their families after they are widowed by widespread ethnic clashes in the country. On the other side of the world, in Vietnam, a small group tries desperately to bring HIV and AIDS awareness to a society that turns its back on those diagnosed with the disease. These issues and the women who are at the forefront of resolving them are presented in the documentary "A Powerful Noise."

The Aggie W — Power in Women Club screened this movie in honor of CARE's National Day of Action on Sunday. CARE, a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty by educating and getting jobs for women around the world, is closely associated with the work that the W Club performs on campus. Funds that the W Club raises through events goes to the CARE regional offices in Austin.

"CARE is an excellent place to send our funds," said Kathryn Tears, sophomore business honors and accounting major. "You see, a lot of places will just throw money at a problem and maybe build a bridge, but the education and human development that CARE invests in carries on for generations."

CARE operates around the world, helping women begin to support themselves and their families. The program offers women services such as micro loans or legal fees at little to no personal cost. In order for CARE to continue its philanthropic services around the world, it requires heavy financial support.

"Here in America there's not much actual work to be done," said Amanda Gillihan, sophomore history major. "The best way that we can help is to raise funds for them and get the message out."

The movie brought to light many global issues that perhaps not everyone knew existed, as well as the solutions and support that women of all races are finding in each other. It centers around three women with different problems and from a variety of locales: Bui My Hanh, an HIV-positive woman in Vietnam who worked with a group called Immortal Flower to spread awareness about the disease to a society that views it with a social stigma; Madame Urbain, a woman from Mali who educates the young girls of her village and Nada Markovich, a woman from war-devastated Bosnia who formed a co-op for widowed women.

"They help out women in every way imaginable, from giving out loans to working hands on with people when they are just starting off," said Stephanie Gillihan, senior environmental and geological science major. "CARE is the inspiration for the Aggie W Club."