When a disaster hits as close to home as the recent eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales province of Luzon in the Philippines, we can not stand back and remain distant from the tragedy. As an international women's organization based in Manila, we feel a deep concern for the loss of our sisters in the communities which were hardest hit by the volcanic eruption.

In our second issue of Women In Action, we have chosen to highlight three articles related to this event. The first one talks about the women's role in rebuilding followed by reflections of Isis workers as women relief workers and women victims themselves. Finally, a Filipina in the US reacts to the so called "positive effects" of the Pinatubo disaster;

We also bring news of women organizing in the Caribbean, Africa, and South America. We have included a background of the Caribbean feminist tradition and a history of the movement by tracing the different women's organizations from the 19th century to the present. We have an interview of a rural woman from Uganda and we have an account from Lima, Peru of how women have successfully organized in depressed communities by setting up communal kitchens

For our Women and Health section, we have three articles which include the occupational health hazards of women workers engaged in repetitive motion jobs, the situation of a child worker in Nepal, and a North-South perspective on differently-abled women.

These rich and diverse experiences of women all over the world show how collectively and even under the worst of circumstances, women can and do make a difference as we continue in our struggle for a just and compassionate society.