Ed. Note: A dedicated activist, Sheila C. Johnson serves as a Global Ambassador for CARE. Her focus is building solidarity and empowering women and girls to become catalysts for change in communities around the world. An accomplished violinist and avid sponsor of the arts, Johnson dedicates her time to organizations that give children and young adults the opportunity to express their creativity. She’s also a founding partner of Black Entertainment Television and was the first African-American woman to own a stake in three major sports teams, including the Washington Wizards. Johnson presently serves as Chairman of the Board of Governors of Parsons The New School for Design and sits on the boards of VH1 Save the Music, Americans for the Arts, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the University of Illinois Foundation and the Tiger Woods Foundation.  She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

March 8 is International Women’s Day – the perfect time for us to reflect upon the state of the world’s women, and to make a commitment to change it.

Seventy percent of the poorest people living in the world today are women and girls. Women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours, yet they earn just 10 percent of the income. Two-thirds of the adults worldwide who cannot read are women, and two-thirds of the children who do not attend school are girls. Every minute of every day, a woman somewhere dies from complications due to pregnancy and childbirth. And in many communities, women are still the legal property of their fathers and husbands.

Click here to see pictures from Sheila Johnson’s Rwanda trip.

There are many factors that sustain poverty, but one factor common to poverty everywhere is the inequality of women and girls. Another truth the world over is that women are the thread that holds together the fabric of society. If we are ever going to fix the problems of the world — both here and abroad — we are going to do it on the backs of strong, powerful women.

If you start to change women’s lives, you start a cycle that begins to improve everything else. That is why I am a Global Ambassador for CARE International and have made it my mission to not only educate myself about the plight of women across the world and the solutions available to assist them, but to share the stories of the strong, inspirational women I meet on my missions with CARE. I am convinced that the more women in developed nations hear the stories of these courageous women — women who battle and overcome ignorance, poverty, oppression and ethnic strife every day, yet still spark remarkable changes in their communities — the more they will step up to help them.

That is why I worked with CARE videographers to create a documentary called “A Powerful Noise,” one of the most important projects I’ve ever had the honor of working on. We wanted to showcase stories of women finding their voices, changing their own lives and changing the future in the process. And I believe we succeeded. It has become so much more than just a “film” — I have proudly witnessed it become a catalyst for change and a compelling reminder that an empowered woman is an unstoppable force.

“A Powerful Noise” introduces us to Hanh, an HIV-positive widow fighting AIDS in Vietnam; Nada, who is rebuilding her community after the Bosnian war; and Jacqueline, who is educating girls in the slums of Mali. All are portraits of resilience and fortitude.

I know the fight against poverty and injustice is a daunting one, and you might be asking how one film can make a difference in that fight. On Thursday, March 5, in honor of International Women’s Day, you can attend a special screening of "A Powerful Noise" live in one of 450 movie theaters nationwide and then view a special live-panel event afterward with actress and activist Natalie Portman; former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright; CARE president and CEO Dr. Helene Gayle; CARE advocate for Maternal Health Christy Turlington Burns; and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, New York Times columnist and acclaimed author Nicholas Kristof.

Educate yourself. Become inspired. And perhaps you’ll donate what you can and join CARE in changing lives by empowering women to fight global poverty. You will be proud that you are supporting an organization that addresses root causes of poverty through programs that advance girls’ education and leadership, improve maternal health and increase economic opportunity for women.