WASHINGTON: Helping women, a tweet at a time

What’s a “Tweet-a-thon?” Will women sitting in theaters across America next week “texting” feverishly from their BlackBerrys and iPhones really have an impact on the lives of impoverished women halfway around the world?

Sheila C. Johnson, philanthropist and owner of the Washington Mystics and of Salamander Hospitality, not only thinks so, she’s pledged to demonstrate the use of new media tools to “buzz up” social causes.

Just look “how one film has created dialogue across the globe,” she said. “Hollywood’s focus on ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has brought awareness to the slums of India … and created a call to action against prostitution and a lot of other things women have to do every day just to survive. We hope to do the same thing with ‘A Powerful Noise.’ ”

“A Powerful Noise” is a documentary Ms. Johnson produced in conjunction with her two-year, $5 million women’s empowerment campaign “I Am Powerful” for CARE, the humanitarian organization fighting poverty around the globe.

The film highlights the “unbending efforts” of three women from Bosnia, Mali and Vietnam who overcame their stark personal circumstances to find innovative ways to help women and girls in their communities fight hunger, illiteracy and AIDS.

Ms. Johnson has teamed up with CARE, National CineMedia Fathom, ONE and the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women to sponsor a unique one-night social awareness and fundraising event, “A Powerful Noise, Live!” to be held Thursday in 450 U.S. theaters.

The evening program includes screening of the documentary, an electronic town hall meeting simulcast live from Hunter College in New York City, and the first ever “Tweet-a-thon,” all designed as a build-up to honor International Women’s Day on March 8. Price? $15.

“I wanted my film to focus where the plight of what’s happening to women globally is so bad,” Ms. Johnson said. “If women can see champions in really severe situations,” then they may look around and see what changes they can make in their own lives and communities. That’s what Barack Obama is talking about.”

A good portion of the film is subtitled, Ms. Johnson said, “because we wanted the women to speak in their own voices so the audience could experience what it’s like to live in their environment.”

One of the women, Jacqueline Dembele Goita, “Madame Urbain,” started a school for girls and young women who flock to the capital city of Bamako, Mali, to escape exploitation, abuse and lack of formal education.

Immediately after the film, Ms. Johnson, CARE’s global ambassador, will introduce the panel of experts and advocates discussing issues and solutions facing women in poorer countries during a live town hall meeting in which theater-goers can send text messages to ask questions or make comments.

The panel will consist of former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright; Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE; Nicolas Kristof of the New York Times; Christy Turlington Burns, CARE advocate for maternal health and contributing editor for Marie Claire magazine; and actress Natalie Portman.

The most innovative technique, however, may be the use of the first online Twitter community campaign, or “Tweet-a-thon,” slated to raise funds for four days before the theater event, from Monday to Thursday. NCM Fathom will donate 10 cents for each Tweet - up to 50,000 Tweets - to CARE, which helps 65 million people in 70 countries become self-sufficient but focuses on women and children, who disproportionately suffer from poverty.

Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom also said “we are excited to bring Twitter users the opportunity to raise funds for CARE simply by Tweeting specific phrases with no personal donation required.”

According to instructions, each Tweet must include the “hash tag” “#apowerfulnoise” to generate the donation. The Web site suggests messages or users can create their own. Other options include uploading images of women you admire to an online visual petition-widget that will form a mosaic. As more images and stories are uploaded, “the louder the movement becomes.”

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