A Definition of Snow

What if fourteen individuals, working for change in their own communities around the world, came together to tell their stories? In A Definition of Snow, fourteen writers do just that. Gathered by Project VOICE over a period of three years, the writers describe their day-to-day experiences working in social, humanitarian, medical, development and peace-related fields, in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, in ways that are powerful, honest and thought-provoking. Such stories, until now, have been mostly unavailable. But they are highly important – and they should be told by those who experienced them and continue to experience them on a daily basis. A Definition of Snow aims to project these unique voices, and bring their stories to readers for the first time.

"I come from Africa, a continent that is very rich in many ways. We are very wealthy in non-material things such as happiness, laughter, joy, contentment, generosity and love. We are also wealthy in natural resources, breath-taking scenery and fertile land. However, we are famously known in the western world for poverty, disease, corruption and war. The truth is, we are more than that and there is our side of the story that is often not told."
- Sheila Chepkoech, Kenya

"I wanted to be free of dictatorship. I wanted to be able to speak my mind without being punished. I wanted to decide for myself what I wanted to be in life. Nobody should decide for me."
- Hintsa Solomon, Eritrea/Germany

"Girls no longer marry at 14, they do not school stop at 14 – this is probably one of the best things we have done for the community. It is not easy to change people's mentality and their convictions."
- Noha Rbeiz, Lebanon