The Conversation

Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women about the magic of storytelling through puppetry.

(Image: (L) Ana Crăciun-Lambru, credit Cristian Vasile (R) Heather Lai, credit Ori Jones.)

Datshiane Navanayagam meets two engineers who want more women to become inventors.

Roma Agrawal is best known for her work on The Shard, the UK’s tallest building. She’s also the author of Nuts & Bolts, a book which explores the history of seven tiny but fundamental inventions that changed the world, and the role that women play in scientific innovation.

Nzambi Matee is a Kenyan inventor who produces sustainable low-cost construction materials made of recycled plastic. Her company is called Gjenge Makers.

Produced by Alice Gioia and Emily Naylor for the BBC World Service.

Datshiane Navanayagam meets two women who use what they learnt from their own divorce to help others heal.

Sara Davison, also known as The Divorce Coach, is the best-selling author of The Split: From breakup to break-through, and Uncoupling: How to survive and thrive after breakup and divorce. Sara also hosts her own podcast, Heartbreak To Happiness.

Produced by Alice Gioia

(Image: (L) Chautè Thompson, courtesy of Chautè Thompson. (R) Sara Davison, courtesy of Sara Davison.)

Datshiane Navanayagam meets two Oscars nominated directors who put women at the centre of their movies.

Nazrin Choudhury is a British filmmaker of Bangladeshi descent. Her directorial debut, Red, White and Blue, follows the story of an American single mother, living paycheck to paycheck, who crosses state lines to try and get an abortion.

Nisha Pahuja is an Indian-Canadian filmmaker. Her movie, To Kill A Tiger, is a poignant documentary about an Indian family seeking justice for their daughter, who was gang raped at 13.

Produced by Jane Thurlow and Alice Gioia

(Image: (L) Nazrin Choudhury. (R) Nisha Pahuja. Credit Tricia Yourkevich/BBC)

Beatriz De La Pava Hucke talks to two women telling the stories of communities threatened by the environmental impact of rising seas, flood damage and increasing temperatures. They're using photography, poetry and literature to express the realities of climate change in communities around the world.

Arati Kumar-Rao is a National Geographic Explorer, environmental photographer, writer and artist. She chronicles the changes in landscape caused by climate change, and she’s currently reporting on human migration in India. Her book is called Marginlands.

Professor Christina Gerhardt founded the Environmental Humanities Institute at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She's written a book called Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean. It covers 49 islands, islets and atolls, from the Artic to the Antarctic, that are most threatened by rising sea levels. It looks at their history and culture with testimony, poetry and literature from the islanders themselves showing a defiant sense of hope, often against all odds.

Produced by Jane Thurlow

(Image: (L) Christina Gerhardt, courtesy of Christina Gerhardt. (R) Arati Kumar-Rao, courtesy of Arati Kumar-Rao.)

When Angela Cacace moved into her new house, she decided to teach herself how to renovate it. Angela is now running her own company, A.Marie Design Build, and has launched Move Over Bob, an online resource for women in the skilled trades.

Clémentine Mollier is a French marine carpenter who specialises in restoring and building classic wooden boats. She has just joined the restoration team working on the HMS Victory, the oldest commissioned warship in the world.

Beatriz De La Pava Hucke meets both women who have carved their own career in a male dominated industry.

Produced by Alice Gioia

(Image: (L) Clémentine Mollier, courtesy of Clémentine Mollier. (R) Angela Cacace. Credit Vincent Cacace)

Beatriz De La Pava Hucke meets two writers and chefs who explore their culture, history and identity through food.

Dina Macki is a recipe developer and writer who basis her work around Omani cuisine. She works with international brands, restaurants and hotels in the UK and in the Gulf region. She’s just published her debut cookbook, Bahari: Recipes from an Omani Kitchen and Beyond.

Keshia Sakarah is a chef and owner of Caribe’ - Caribbean Eating and the Baruru Supper-club. She travelled across the Caribbean Islands to discover and collect traditional recipes. Her first book, Caribe': A Cookbook with History, will come out in 2025.

Produced by Sarah Kendal, Alice Gioia and Jane Thurlow.

(Image: (L) Keshia Sakarah, courtesy of Keshia Sakarah. (R) Dina Macki, courtesy of Dina Macki.)

Datshiane Navanayagam meets two award-winning nature documentary makers.

Always struggling to choose between science and art, Brazilian Angela Prochilo found her way into nature documentary making after completing a zoology degree at university. Her most recent projects showcase the endeavours of women in wildlife conservation and research.

Andrea Florence is an Emmy-award winning nature documentary maker from England. She studied natural sciences and lived for three years on a boat in the Amazon rainforest. She also produced the pioneering series Animals in the womb.

Produced by Emily Naylor and Alice Gioia

(Image: (L) Andrea Florence, credit Dave Dickie. (R) Angela Prochilo, courtesy of Angela Prochilo.)

Ella Al-Shamahi meets two women on the frontline in the fight against malaria.

Dr Ify Aniebo is from Nigeria, the country worst hit by malaria. She is an Associate professor with the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, where she works to improve the country's response to drug resistance and malarial transmission.

Dr Mehreen Datoo is a clinical lecturer in Infectious Diseases at the University of Oxford and she’s on the team that developed the R21/Matrix-M, the WHO approved vaccine that will be rolled out across Africa in 2024.

Produced by Alice Gioia, Emily Naylor and Jane Thurlow.

(Image: (L) Dr Mehreen Datoo, courtesy of Dr Mehreen Datoo. (R) Dr Ify Aniebo, courtesy Dr Ify Aniebo.)

This programme contains discussion of suicide and suicide attempts. If you feel affected by this topic, you could speak to a health professional or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at: www.befrienders.org

Produced by Alice Gioia

(Image: (L) Raashi Thakran, courtesy of Raashi Thakran. (R) Charlotte Maya, credit Karen Ray Photography.)