A Girl + Education =

I am excited. I saw this movie several months ago and now have the opportunity to share it with you! On Oct. 13, 2013 at 3:30 p.m. my church, First Presbyterian in downtown Winston Salem is hosting a showing of Girl Rising, an awesome film that follows several girls' stories and the impact that education can have on them, their families and entire communities. It's beautifully done and both realistic and hopeful. I hope you can come watch it with me. 

2012 EFA Global Monitoring Report

Education in our country is free for our children. Our girls get to learn which gives them SO many opportunities for a bright future in America. Regardless of the problems in our education system, it is one of the things that immigrants come to this country for. In so many other countries in our world, education is more precious than our favorite possessions. I am thankful for my education everyday because it shaped who I am in the world and how I can help people. But as I progressed through K-12 education I didn't think about what a gift it was. My parents didn't tell me it was different in other countries. My friends and I complained about school work and getting up early. We expected to get new clothes each fall and to be rewarded for good grades. My worldview was so limited as a child. 

In the last few years I've been learning more and more about life in other countries and how much of what I take for granted is someone's life wish. The movie Girl Rising was one of those awesome tools for God to use in my life to expand my mind and prompt my heart to stop living just for myself. 

In addition to seeing this movie, I read a bit more and realized just how instrumental education is for girls worldwide. It's not just for them to be smart or get a job. It keeps them out of some devastating circumstances. In our country, by and large, we protect our children. We are hard on criminals when they commit crimes against our children and we uphold the value of their innocence. Of course the United States has its blind spots and shortcomings that end in tragedy as well, but it is not as commonplace. 

UNFPA, 2012

National Academies Press, 2005

As I prepare for this showing on Oct. 13, I'm praying for others to be spurred on by some of these numbers and stories. I simply want 100 people in my community to see the film and pray about what God is asking them to do. There are several local opportunities to help girls realize their place in the world as well as getting involved globally. For example, be a running buddy with Girls on the Run at the YMCA Mistletoe Run this year in Winston Salem. Or ask me about child sponsorship with World Vision or Food for the Hungry. There are little ways that each of us can affect these statistics and I want to be able to tell my grandchildren that I was involved. 

I want to end with 2 things. Thanks for reading. 

1. A quote (you know how I love words) that I ran across in an article today. It is from one of my favorite abolitionists, William Wilberforce. 

“You may choose to look the other way 

but you can never say again that you did not know."

2. The title of my blog is unfinished because I'm still trying to wrap my head around the impact education can have on girls and on our communities worldwide. So I challenge you to also consider how you might finish this statement: 

Girls + Education = ________

Link to Evite: First Pres Showing of Girl Rising