Women Who Shape The World
Sometimes it takes just one person to change the way we view the world and motivate us to make it better.
By Hallie Levine Sklar
Kristin Davis
Aids Activist, Actress "When I heard that one in four women in South Africa is infected with the virus that causes AIDS, I knew that I had to help in some way," says Kristin Davis.
Already a longtime financial supporter of Oxfam International, she contacted the emergency-relief organization and asked what she could do to help. "They said, 'Pick any country and there's work to be done,'" she says. This past September she traveled to Mozambique and South Africa and rolled up her sleeves. "Even women who don't have the virus are touched by AIDS. Husbands and fathers are dying, leaving wives and children behind," says Davis. "Oxfam believes in teaching women and children skills rather than just giving them money, so they can learn to support their families."
Davis visited schools and facilities supported by Oxfam, where women are taught sewing, gardening, and beading. But one of her favorite places was Momma Grace's soup kitchen in Soweto. "A few years ago Momma was providing one hot meal a week to the orphans in her area," she says. "Thanks to Oxfam-supported programs she was able to expand, and now she's serving two hot meals a day, every day, to her grateful kids."
What she wants you to know A lot of causes closer to home need your help too. Davis is a spokesperson for Purina's Pro Plan Rally to the Rescue, a campaign started to help small animal shelters around the country. "I'd supported animal rescue for years," she says, "but after Hurricane Katrina, I felt moved to make a stronger commitment." During the recovery, 150 dogs and cats were flown from New Orleans to Los Angeles in an effort to find them new homes or return them to their owners. "Around that time I got to know some of the no-kill shelters in my area," says Davis, "which is how I came to adopt my two dogs, Momma and Sam."
Her stay-healthy secret Venture outside your comfort zone. "We all get so caught up in our day-to-day lives and have so many gripes," she says. "But when you see the way others live and how they make the best of it, you'll realize how lucky you are."
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