The Bio
Claim to Fame: Author of the award-winning Vagina Monologues; funds from performances supported projects in 112 countries last year.
Founded: V-Day, a nonprofit that has established safe houses for battered women in Afghanistan, Egypt, Haiti, Iraq, and Kenya.
Wrote: The Good Body, about why women change their looks.
Current Obsession: "Building the City of Joy in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a safe haven for rape survivors on a beautiful plot of land. And of course, ending violence against women and girls. As soon as possible—now!"

Travel Log
Last Trip: 22 U.S. cities to celebrate V-Day's tenth anniversary.
Next Trip: I want to go to Banda, in Uttar Pradesh, India, to meet the fierce ladies in the Pink Gang, a vigilante group that fights for women's rights.
Favorite Trip: Afghanistan with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. I will never forget the stunning Khyber Pass or the tension of traveling with women risking their lives to save the women of their country.
Dream Trip: Morocco. I know that when I finally get there, I will never want to leave. The food, the decor, the souks. Everything I am drawn to is Moroccan.

CNT: How did you go from playwright to activist?

Ensler: In Bosnia during the war, women were being raped. I spent months interviewing women in refugee camps. That's where The Vagina Monologues started.

CNT: And now you're turning your attention to the Congo?

Ensler: In Eastern Congo there is a civil conflict. It's the result of a legacy of colonialism and oppression that was fueled by greed. Between 100,000 and 200,000 women have been raped. The army and peacekeepers are unleashed, and there's no impunity. Why rape? These men have gone haywire with testosterone and self-hatred, guilt, and hunger. We're talking about horrible things, like cannibalism and torture. I've been to a lot of difficult places, and nothing compared with what I saw in the Congo.

CNT: How can people help?

Ensler: You can go to vday.org and help build the Congo's City of Joy center, which will heal and train a hundred rape survivors to become leaders through trauma therapy and education.

CNT: What impact can that have on a broader scale?

Ensler: Five years ago, we helped open a safe house in Narok, Kenya, for girls fleeing genital mutilation. That house has shifted the culture. The woman running it got elected deputy mayor. Mothers are bringing their battered daughters. We shouldn't underestimate the power of one great thing.