Genevieve Hathaway

The Women Rising Project is an ongoing documentary project sharing stories of women changemakers around the world who are changing perceptions, breaking through barriers, and leading through new ideas and new approaches.  Women Rising documents these inspiring stories of brave, bold women through a multi-media approach of photos, articles, audio interviews and short documentary films. This is a new project and will be growing in scope over the coming years.

[Ongoing 2011 - Present]

Bouchra Baibanou - First Moroccan to Climb the 7 Summits

Bouchra Baibanou, a software engineer from Rabat, has just broken history and become the first Moroccan to complete the 7 Summits. She climbed the world’s tallest peak on each continent, known as the “7 Summits”. She hopes to use this project to continue inspiring young Moroccan women to dream big and accomplish their goals. Bouchra also runs boot camps for young women and girls in Morocco – helping them build self-confidence and empowerment through the outdoors and trekking. Big congratulations to Bouchra to shattering records and glass ceilings! I've been documenting her journey over the past 4 years. Click through to follow her journey from Morocco to the tallest mountains around the world.

Airokhsh Faiz Qaisary – Changing Afghanistan, One Woman At A Time

I sat down with Airokhsh Faiz Qaisary to discuss women’s education in Afghanistan, how women are changing the face of this formerly war-torn country, what life is really like on the ground in Afghanistan and misperceptions about the country. Airokhsh is an Afghan filmmaker, activist, public speaker, and Sahar Fellow. She is also a smart, savvy, force of nature who is very passionate about women’s education around the world, but particularly in her home country of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a country that often makes the news (in a negative way), but is steeped in misunderstandings and an incomplete narrative that does not fully show the complexity of what’s going on there, especially when it comes to women. In this fascinating interview, Airokhsh and I talk about her work, break down many of the misunderstandings about women in Afghanistan, talk about women’s future there, and how you can make a difference in women’s lives in places like this central Asian country.

Samina Baig - First Pakistani Woman to Summit Mt. Everest

In May 2013, at 21 years of age, Samina Baig became the first—and youngest—Pakistani woman to stand on top of the world’s tallest mountain. Summiting with Tashi and Nancy Malik, two female climbers from India, the three placed their countries’ flags on the roof of the world to spread the message of Indo-Pakistani friendship and peace. In addition to her accomplishment, Samina is also a strong voice in Central Asia for women’s empowerment.

(Photo on the right: credit Mirza Ali and the Pakistan Youth Outreach)