Combining literature, theatre and music, a group of passionate folks are trying to promote a non-violent and healthy world.

Circle of Health International (COHI) is an international non-governmental organization that seeks to empower women’s health care professionals in crisis settings. Founded in 2004, COHI currently works in Louisiana, Israel/Palestine, Tanzania, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Sudan.COHI operates on the tenets of consensus-based decision-making, non-violence, and the grassroots model of social change.

On March 26th a group of New York based artists and activists will produce a performance of A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer to support COHI’s efforts. Edited by V-day founder Eve Ensler, A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer features pieces from “Until the Violence Stops,” the international tour that brings the issue of violence against women and girls to the forefront of our consciousness. The collection includes pieces by Maya Angelou, Kathy Najimy,Edward Albee, Alice Walker and many more.

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Written by women for women, these top 10 blogs focus on issues, news, and gossip geared toward educating, entertaining and empowering girls. While I’m sure there are plenty of men who enjoy the writings of these well-spoken gals, these blogs are predominately speaking to their sisters.

1. Feministing believes that young women are rarely given the opportunity to speak on their own behalf on issues that affect their lives and futures.Feministing provides a platform for us to comment, analyze and influence.
2. Feministe is one of the oldest feminist blogs designed by and run by women from the ground up.
3. Our Bodies Our Blog is your your daily dose of women’s health news and analysis.
4. Jezebel is a blog for women that will attempt to take all the essentially

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Believing that real beauty comes in many shapes, sizes and ages, the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty aims to change the status quo and offer in its place a broader, healthier, more democratic view of beauty. A view of beauty that all women can own and enjoy everyday

Through workshops for girls, online self-esteem building training and interactive tools, Dove is actively attempting to make a change in how women view themselves. The most recognizable attempt has been through their much-discussed print and video ads such as this one:

While the campaign has sparked much needed discussion on the issue of beauty and self-esteem it has also sparked parodies such as

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Mandy Moore is the face of the new site uPumpItUp.com where women can share their empowerment stories and tips.

As described on the site:

uPumpItUp a place where women inspire each other to do more of the things that make us feel great, and help share that good feeling with others!

Feel daring or calmly introspective? Wildly creative or playfully social? There’s a type of community challenge for every mood you’re in, and tons of possibilities to explore with friends - both old and new. And each challenge has realistic milestones - so you make actual progress and enjoy more of those “Yeah, I did it!” moments.

The free site features Moore and a team of experts that pitch in with helpful ideas to keep members pumped up and feeling their best every day.

For more on uPumpItUp and to join the community, visit uPumpItUp.com

Since 2002 actress Jessica Alba has worked with the Step Up Women’s Network where she regularly volunteers at afternoon-long workshops aimed to empower and educate young women.

Jessica recently appeared on Tyra where she discussed the organization and visited with two girls in the Step Up Women’s Network after school program.

As explained on their site Step Up Women’s Network is a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to strengthening community resources for women and girls. Through teen empowerment programs for underserved girls, women’s health education and advocacy, professional mentorship and social networking opportunities, we educate and activate our members to ensure that women and girls have the tools they need to create a better future.

For more on the Step Up Women’s Network and/or to donate or volunteer visit www.suwn.org

Check out these Top 10 stories from January 2008 about social action written by our very own TakePart bloggers. From Cadbury to Clooney, these advocacy-oriented stories will encourage awareness and action to create positive changes in our communities and in the world.

1) Clooney Claims Role as Peace Messenger

2) The Reinvestment Fund Helps Low-Income Baltimore Families During Sub-Prime Fallout

3) Ron Hunter Is A Superstar!

4) Great YouTube Video About Burma From Michael Stipe

5) Cadbury Strikes Sweet Deal With Cocoa Farmers

6) Uptown Girls Is Down on Power Lines

7) Greenpeace Persuades Chefs to Support Sustainable Seafood

8 ) BGCI Helps Save Medicinal Plants From Extinction

9) Top 5 Socially Conscious Movie Trailers

10) I Believe That Children See the Future Drawings of Climate Change

SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now Day) is a new international holiday that celebrates women artists. It will be an annual event taking place on the last Saturday of Women’s History Month (March). The first SWAN Day will take place on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

As explained on the SWAN Day site: as a symbol of international solidarity, there will be events all over the world featuring women artists on SWAN Day. The public will be encouraged to attend these events and to make donations to their favorite women artists.

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Mehedi Hasan, a field investigator for the Washington D.C.-based Worker Rights Consortium, went to Bangladesh to investigate some of the country’s 3,000 garment factories and to advocate for the rights of its more than 2 million workers, mostly women, who make the clothing we wear. Today, we must investigate the conditions under which Hasan is held, and we must protect his rights. Hasan, was arrested on Thursday 24th January by the Bangladesh security forces accused of instigating garment workers. He has not been allowed to see his family since. The military-backed interim government has been harassing and cracking down on workers and organizers. Unions are illegal, the security forces operate under emergency rules and most civil rights remain suspended. Less than 5% of the Bangladesh garment industry complies with international labour standards. If you see an “I love my Wal-Mart” shirt, it may have been made by children aged 10 to 13 making less than 10¢ an hour. Hasan is only the latest victim. So and demand the immediate release of Mehedi Hasan.

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In the Belair-Edison neighborhood of Baltimore, more than half of the foreclosures on homes have been owned by women, says the Reinvestment Fund, a non-profit community development organization. Subprime mortgages, which are fueling the current foreclosure rate, have gone mostly to women.

Single women, many with children, are one of the fastest-growing homeowner groups in recent years, and women accounted for 40 percent of home buyers in Baltimore in 2006. Nearly half of these mortgages were subprime. The Consumer Federation of America found that women were 32 percent more likely than men to receive subprime loans. While these loans make up only 13 percent of existing home loans, they make up 55 percent of foreclosures, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Reinvestment Fund is still working hard at helping out low-income families in Baltimore find funding for housing and small businesses. Interested in finding out what you can do to help invest in these communities? Click here to take action:

According to The New York Times morning shows are for the Miss’s saying “the fourth hour of “Today” feels less like an extension of the three-hour show than a cozy Tupperware party that never ends.”Filled with fashion reports, homemaker tips, and weight loss 101’s, early day programming has become geared toward women and rarely toward anything less than frivolous. Is it such a bad thing? I mean the common viewer of such shows is female and as a gal I can say that I am interested in makeup tips and style reports. However are these shows perpetuating the stereo-type that women have only lofty interests at heart by just reporting on handbags and halter tops and not healthcare reform and hostage situations? And according to viewers, women are bored with the rotation of boring topics.I think the gals at Jezebel best summed it up when saying What do women really want out of morning television, anyway, if not handbags, diet tips and Whoopi Goldberg? News and weather?