Notes from the Field - In fewer than two months working at a nonprofit, I realized the narrow hole through which I was viewing the tech industry. These innovations could free up more time and energy to dedicate to our girls, which is why we are all there to begin with.

Women who worked in Ireland's "Magdalene laundries" but were denied compensation under the state's Magdalene Restorative Justice program have won their long-running battle to have their applications reassessed. New legislation will ensure that payments to the women will be fast-tracked by the Irish state in an effort to make amends for the delay they have endured over their disputed compensation for their time working in the laundries. 

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, formally approved Dec. 10, 1948, in part as response to World War II, is a foundation for much of the advocacy work that religious congregations working at the United Nations do. But human rights defenders and advocates, including Catholic sisters who represent their congregations at the United Nations, say the commitment to uphold the rights enshrined in the document is under threat.

Cleveland's Thea Bowman Center provides meals and help with education and social services to the predominantly black Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. The center's annual gala raises money for operating costs. This year's gala featured actress Sherrie Tolliver as Bowman in a one-woman show. GSR spoke to Tolliver and board member Gayle Bullock about Bowman's legacy.

Nuns and members of religious groups and government agencies who serve people with HIV/AIDS gathered at a recent symposium focused on how to end the disease, share best practices and experiences caring for patients and explore how to work together better.

Notes from the Field - St. John Bosco began a tradition more than 100 years ago that still is celebrated in Salesian communities around the world to this day: the Fiesta of Gratitude. It can be held at any time, and this year, I had three Thanksgivings.

Wearing orange on the 25th of every month is a practice followed by a number of sisters and staff of the Religious of the Good Shepherd, Province of the Philippines-Japan. But on Nov. 25, Good Shepherd-run institutions and centers in the Philippines were ablaze in orange to commemorate the start of the 18-day anti-violence against women campaign.

GSR Today - This is the third set of compiled reports from sisters working at or near the border who have written of the need caused by a recent influx of migrants unrelated to the caravan, and the plight of those seeking asylum.

Conflicts over proposed funds for controversial measures such as a border wall threaten a possible government shutdown. Network, the Catholic social justice lobbying organization, is pushing for legislation with the lowest funding for border fencing.

Three congregations, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky, Adrian Dominican Sisters and Sisters of the Humility of Mary, are charting toward a sustainable tomorrow by establishing goals that reduce greenhouse emissions and focus on sustainable energy. The sisters are applying principles such as permaculture to all aspects of community life.

Sr. Agatha Chikelue started thinking about how to build bridges between Christians and Muslims in 2008, as northern Nigeria disintegrated into violence. Nigeria's population is evenly divided with 48 percent Muslims and 49 percent Christians, who commonly avoid direct contact with each other. Since starting in 2011, the Women of Faith Peacebuilding Network's activities have reached more than 10,000 Muslim and Christian women across the country through seminars, meditations, presentations by religious leaders, and dialogue.

Sr. Annie Demerjian has seen a lifetime of suffering in Aleppo, Syria, over the past seven years. Now, as conflict is beginning to die down, the current challenge is to help people begin to rebuild their lives.