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Soroptimist's signature program, the Women's Opportunity Awards, has helped thousands of women move from poverty, violence and despair to hope and independence. During 2007, a record number of Soroptimist clubs participated in the Women's Opportunity Awards, and more than $1.1 million was disbursed through the program. This year, three remarkable women were chosen to receive the $10,000 finalist awards.

Kazuko Kojima
Kazuko Kojima, of Morioka City, Japan, suffered from crippling depression from a very young age, brought on in part by her abusive parents. "Among my four siblings, I was always treated differently," she says. When Kazuko was a teen, her alcoholic father was desperate for money, so he sold his daughter to a wealthy man. "He needed money, but I could not believe that he could even think of selling my body for money." The experience left Kazuko deeply scarred and unable to trust anyone.

At 14, she tried to commit suicide. "I jumped into the rough sea of Tsushima Current. But the waves were rough only on the surface. I swam beneath the rough waves and was washed ashore alive." It was the first of three attempts Kazuko made on her own life.

Kazuko left home after junior high school. She worked days in a spinning factory and went to school at nights. Her estranged parents demanded that she send money home to them each month.

Kazuko was eventually summoned home by her parents, who then forced her into marriage with an abusive man. She stayed married to him for more than 15 years, enduring years of physical abuse. It was only when he started abusing her children that Kazuko finally found the strength to leave. She and her husband eventually divorced and Kazuko worked around the clock to support herself and her two children, spending her days as a home healthcare worker and her nights tending bar.

Kazuko now dreams of pursuing a career as a counselor, and is taking courses in psychology. "I want to help people with psychological pain. But I also found that I, too, am able to heal through these studies," she said.

She is using her $10,000 finalist Women's Opportunity Award to attend the Total Counseling School.

Maria del Carmen Flores Colque
Maria del Carmen Flores Colque, of Oruro, Bolivia, became a single mother at the age of 15. Later, she married a man who she believed would make her happy, but her marriage quickly spiraled into a nightmare.

"I suffered psychological and physical abuse, and sexual violence. It made my children's life and my own life sad and painful. [My husband] would hit me in front of the children. He would come home drunk and would demand food and sexual attention. He would not give me money and I did not have anything to feed my children." Even though her husband left her for another woman, he continued to abuse her. "When he wanted, he would come to our room, he would hurt my children and would hit me."

Maria was eventually beaten so badly that she was hospitalized. The experience made her swear that she would not allow the abuse to continue. Maria now works tirelessly to provide for her family. "I want to give them the best I can, although it is very difficult because I do not have any kind of help," says Maria.

In order to support her family, Maria works in the morning and night making cakes and pastries for a local bakery. She also washes and irons clothes twice a week. In the afternoon she attends classes, and often brings her children with her to school.

Said Maria Veronica Mendoza Montenegro, one of Maria's teachers, "Maria is an enterprising person who sets her goals and achieves them."

Her greatest goal is to become a nurse's assistant. Maria is using her $10,000 finalist Women's Opportunity Award to attend the Funcacion Infocal and study nursing. Maria would like to focus on reproductive healthcare. "Women suffer because of lack of information about our health," she says. Through her struggles, Maria has focused on remaining positive and looking toward the future. "I try to be as optimistic as I can. I believe I can be an example not only for my children but also for women who have lost all hope."

Receiving the Women's Opportunity Awards gave Maria the ability to "achieve what was always my dream, complete my studies, be a professional, be able to improve my children's and my community's standard of living, and show all women that it is never too late."

Dawn Zolman
Dawn Zolman, of Oxnard, California, grew up in a dysfunctional home, with an alcoholic father who abused her physically, emotionally and sexually. Dawn's mother was abusive, too. "Even though teachers and other adults must have seen what was happening to me, no one ever came forward to help," says Dawn. The experience made her feel isolated and alone, and drove her to run away from home at 16.

By 17, she was a single mother, living on her own. Her daughter's father provided little financial support and Dawn struggled to make ends meet. She often suffered from crippling anxiety attacks. At one point, she and her daughter were homeless. "I couldn't seem to figure out how to have a better life," she says.

Dawn realized that her struggles with anxiety, self-esteem and depression were having a detrimental effect on her daughter, and knew she needed to make a change. "My daughter asked, 'Am I one of the poor kids," and I knew if our life was ever going to improve, I would have to make some major changes."

Dawn obtained an associate teaching certificate and an associate of arts degree, and is in the process of pursuing a degree in teaching. She currently works as a substitute teacher and hopes to one day work as a full-time elementary school teacher. She is using her $10,000 finalist Women's Opportunity Award to pursue an education degree from Channel Islands University.

"Completing my education and becoming a teacher will make me feel like a productive member of society while doing something I love. It will also provide the means to build a secure future for my daughter and myself," said Dawn.