Dear Friends,
While we are putting together this issue of Women in Action, Maria Antonieta Saa, a member of the Isis International team in Santiago, Chile was arrested on July 10 for her activities, as representative of the Chilean women's movement, in calling for the return of democracy in Chile. We are happy to report that she was released from prison on the 21st of August, although no date has yet been set for her trial. In the meantime, we are happy to have her back with us coordinating and editing the publication of Women in Action and the Isis International Women's Journal in Spanish.
It has been very heartening to see the enormous response from the women's movement all over the world to appeals that went out through feminist networks and women's groups and organizations. During July and August, women all over the world sent in letters and telegrams of support for Maria Antonieta and in protest of her arrest and detention. Maria Antonieta and all of us at Isis International would like to express our great thanks to you for your support and solidarity. You can read more about Maria Antonieta on the next page.
This issue of Women in Action is going out to more than a thousand new contacts in Africa and Asia. For those of you receiving this publication for the first time, we want to welcome you to a network of thousands of women in 150 countries around the world. Isis International's goals are to promote communication among women, especially at a grassroots level with the ultimate aim of contributing to the empowerment and development of women. Our aims and activities are described in the last few pages of this issue.
Women in Action is a channel for women around the world to share their experiences, ideas, information and material. Through telling our own stories, defining our own problems, and developing our own approaches for change, we women can learn from each other's similarities and diversities and build support and solidarity. Communication is the cornerstone of action and the more we women share, the more equipped we are to transform our situations.
In this issue there is news about a range of women's campaigns, appeals for support, notices of resources, groups and upcoming events. We invite you to participate in this communication channel by sending in news and information you would like to share with other women.
Finally, we are very happy to announce the publication in June of Powerful Images: A Women's Guide to Audiovisual Resources. This 220-page guide was inspired by the growing movement among women to produce and use audiovisual media as effective tools for communication, especially in Third World countries.
