SYNOPSIS A Walk To Beautiful Diversity documentary / Wide Angle on Women's issues USA, 2007, 85 Minutes, Amharic, English with English subtitles Director: Mary Olive Smith The five Ethiopian women whose stories are portrayed in WALK TO BEAUTIFUL are affected by a health crisis largely forgotten in the West: obstructed childbirth. In far-flung villages across Ethiopia’s vast plains, a complex web of cultural mores, marriage practices, and the brutal realities of poverty conspire to place pregnant women at considerable risk. Without access to adequate obstetric care, many women endure prolonged, unrelieved labor culminating in stillbirth and significant physical injury. The most unfortunate among them are left incontinent, a condition which inspires fear and shame in their deeply tribal communities. Grieving and ostracized, these women face a grim future of isolation and suffering. But hope still remains. Ayehu lives as an outcast, residing in a forlorn shack behind her mother’s home. She is approached by a woman who speaks of a cure. There is a hospital in Addis Ababa, where women like her can be treated. Unfortunately, it is a long way away—a walk of many, many miles over the sun baked scrublands, followed by a costly bus ride which the poor villagers can scarcely afford. But Ayehu—and four others like her—bravely set out for the distant capital, beginning their long trek back to health. This inspiring, heartfelt film reminds us of both the brittle state of women’s health care in the developing world and the transformative power of modern medicine, charting a memorable journey from a place of unimaginable suffering to one of wholeness, recovery, and even joy. www.walktobeautiful.com