Can the women of richer nations unite with the women of third world nations? Meg Ryan thinks so. "If you empower women, you can change the world. I think it's important for the women of the first world to hold hands with the women of the third."

This Hollywood icon, the star of When Harry Met Sally… and Sleepless in Seattle, is making a four-day trip across northern India with representatives from the international aid organization CARE. In notably casual attire—baggy green army pants, worn clogs, a brown pullover, no makeup, no fussy hairdo—Ryan has been humble, observant, polite, and reserved. She has brought no fanfare, no glitter, no Hollywood ego or trumpery. In the hope of calling to the world's attention their stories and their needs, she's spent four days literally and figuratively holding hands with some of the world's most disadvantaged women.