In 1996 when Dr. Siraporn Sawasdivorn returned to Thailand following her Humphrey Fellowship at Emory University in the United States, she did so with renewed enthusiasm for furthering the practice of breastfeeding in the country. The pediatrician had been advocate of breastfeeding since 1989 when she was on the staff of Mahasarakham General Hospital in Thailand. Her commitment to bringing more attention in Thailand to the fundamental health and emotional benefits that breastfeeding has for babies and mothers grew after her Humphrey Fellowship as did her influence in the Thai medical community.

Shyamala Gomez, a 1995 Fulbright alumna, is a champion of women's rights.  Gomez is a leading legal advocate and women's-rights activist, as well as a scholar in women's issues, writing and teaching at the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka. Gomez is also a founding member and co-coordinator of the Fulbright Alumni Association of Sri Lanka (FAASL).

International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumna Linda Messous raises young women's awareness and stresses the important role women play in the area of politics since returning from her three weeks in the United States in 2008. Messous participated in the "Youth Leaders: Effecting Social, Political, and Economic Change," project, designed to help young leaders analyze methods of influencing political, social, and economic change in a democratic society.

When I decide something needs to change, I throw everything I've got into changing it.  My work on campaigns, including Take Our Daughters to Work Day, the YWCA Week Without Violence and the NGO Forum on Women in Beijing has been about working to create the change I want to see in the world, and inspiring women everywhere to do the same for themselves.

Dr. Bogaletch Gebre, from the village of Zato in Ethiopia, is a study in firsts.  She was the first girl from her village to be educated beyond the fourth grade, studying at the local missionary school.  A talented and determined student, Dr. Gebre received a government scholarship to attend the only women's boarding school in Addas Ababa and then received a scholarship to study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  Returning to Ethiopia, Dr. Gebre continued her groundbreaking ways, as the first female to study in the science faculty at Addas Ababa University and then the first woman to serve in that science faculty.

Lesley Abdela, a globally recognized activist and expert on gender issues, is the winner of the 2009 Woman Political Journalist of the Year award, selected by the United Kingdom's Parliamentary Press Lobby, Members of Parliament, and Members of the House of Lords. Abdela has worked indefatigably in her career and personal life to help build a culture in which both women and men can develop their full potential as leaders in politics and public life.

After a massive earthquake struck Peru in 2006, FORTUNE alumna Maria Esther Landa began building temporary shelters for those left homeless by the quake. Landa's welding company, Santa María Eventos, builds and rents metal scaffolding, tents, and other structures for outdoor events. After the earthquake destroyed several communities in Peru, Landa's company partnered with CARE to build 1,000 tents that provided shelter to some 6,000 displaced people. Santa María Eventos also worked to repair schools and build basic furniture for victims following the quake.