We Are Called to Rise
by Jina Krause-Vilmar
A rousing call-to-action that inspires us to embrace the economic potential of refugee women and break the invisible barriers that constrain their power
About the book
Every day, war, famine, economic collapse, religious persecution, or personal danger forces thousands of women from their homes. Jina Krause-Vilmar has spent decades working with these women in some of the most difficult and dangerous conditions, all around the world. Now, in We Are Called to Rise, she explores and celebrates the economic and social power of refugee women. She illustrates the strength and opportunity that policymakers overlook, governments fail to harness, and stereotypes erase, but that also ultimately holds the potential for real change and progress. Presented through a compelling blend of storytelling and social science, Krause-Vilmar lays out a new plan for how we can think about and pursue change, from debunking the “bootstrapping myth” and setting new rules of engagement to presenting personal stories of women thriving against overwhelming obstacles in locations across the globe. She connects faces and intimate truths to passing headlines.
Inspiring, informative, and more timely than ever, We Are Called to Rise is a powerful testimony to the invisible threads that keep us from embracing one another—and how, despite the barriers, we can reweave those threads to create opportunity not just for these women, but for entire communities, everywhere.
Jina Krause-Vilmar
Jina Krause-Vilmar is an executive, author, and former advisor to the United Nations, reimagining sustainable migration, economic inclusion, and women’s power. With two decades of global experience, she has advanced women’s economic security in conflict zones and fragile states—conducting qualitative research, training humanitarian practitioners, and advancing public policy. She is known for translating field-based insights into strategies that drive systems-level change.
Jina has served as CEO of national organizations working to lift the poorest communities and advises women-led organizations supporting women and girls in crisis. Her work illustrates women’s power, revealing the hidden costs displaced women carry and the ingenuity with which they transform constraint into leadership, bringing human depth to stories too often reduced to headlines.
Born and raised in Texas to an Indian immigrant family, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband, children, and Rottweiler.
About Moment of Lift Books
Moment of Lift Books, created by Melinda French Gates in partnership with Flatiron Books, publishes original nonfiction by visionaries who are working to unlock a more equal world for women and girls.