This is Betty Makoni

Oil and collage on canvas
16”x 20”
Artist: Athena Santos Magcase Lopez
President, Society of Philippine-American Artists
New York, NY

I create art to convey and inspire change by depicting, on canvas, empowered women who fight against gender oppression and discrimination of all kinds, and in the process are leading lives of dignity and meaning.

Betty Makoni, the founder of Girl Child Network Worldwide, is a courageous woman who has become the voice for defenseless and sexually abused young girls in Zimbabwe. In the face of a widely held belief of the so-called virgin myth, and a strong force that continues to threaten and attack her efforts, she has worked tirelessly to empower and educate the girls, so that they can heal from their horrible ordeals and live as survivors instead of victims.