Obstetrician Oral Ataniyazova founded Perzent, the Karakalpak Center for Reproductive Health and Environment, in 1992 in order to mitigate the effects of groundwater pollution on women in Karakalpakstan, an ethnically distinct and autonomous region of Uzbekistan. The damming of the Amu Darya River and the shrinking of the Aral Sea, in addition to the runoff of industrial pollutants from monocultural cropping, mining and chemical factories, has severely impacted the health of people in the region. Ataniyazova’s center promotes women’s and reproductive health and family planning while providing training in sustainable agriculture and hygiene. This woman leader received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2000 for her work on natural resource justice. Photo credit: Goldman Environmental Prize
