NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Editor’s Note: Yesterday was International Women’s Day and today ViewChange is highlighting the many inspiring video stories about women on its innovative video platform.

Viewers may watch films about the issues affecting women living in developing nations, from sex trafficking and genital cutting to family planning and AIDS prevention to improving education access for girls. The ViewChange video player links users to the latest articles on these topics as well as organizations affecting change on these issues.

We also have a number of incredible stories of enterprising women starting their own businesses or capitalizing on the opportunities afforded by microcredit investment.

In “Shilpi’s Story,” Save the Children’s Girls’ Voices project empowers our heroine to turn her skills weaving mats into a profit-making endeavor.

In “Bamako Chic,” inheritors of a proud cloth dying culture turn the age-old craft into a means of supporting their families.

Finally, in “Small Loans, Big Impact,” Mali-based business woman Mama Coulibaly leveraged a loan from her village’s banking collective to start her own business selling grain.