End of a journey

Today marks the last day of the Women Weave the Web campaign. I came on as a volunteer at the start of the campaign to help organize data and have been involved in reading each and every entry from over 550 submissions in 67 countries. Early in the campaign I wrote of how the internet has changed my ability to serve my own community. I saw my actions as a testament of the power of the web - for education, for service, for action. After following the experiences of women around the world, I now understand that the power of the web is not only in action. Awareness of one's own capacity to overcome cultural, economic, educational and other barriers is empowering even before any action takes place. It is in quiet understanding of the worth of women that the world will change. We can't measure the affect of internet access - yet. But we will see it's affects change the world one woman at a time so that girls and women 20 years from now will be able to share very different stories from those we experience now. Participating in Women Weave the Web has changed my perception of women's empowerment. This will be the last day I see new stories but it is not the end of my journey. World Pulse will continue to be an important part of my need to participate in changing the lives of women and girls in my own community. It has been a long journey - but it is only beginning!