Girl Rising and My Firm, Unyielding Stance on Girl's Education

Hi World Wide Web!

I'm feeling pretty positive right now because according to my blog's pageviews, I have two readers as of yesterday!  Welcome friends to my dumb blog!  (My boyfriend swears it wasn't him, and I couldn't be more happy.  Readers make the World Wide Web seem a little less overwhelming.)

I have the incredible privilege of attending an amazing all-girls private school in a rather affluent area.  Because I have always placed a high value on education personally, and dream of being a teacher one day, I recognize how incredibly blessed and lucky I am to attend a school that provides such superior opportunities and resources for each girl who attends the school.  In addition to valuing education, I am also a strong feminist who understands that one of the quickest ways to equality in society is equal educational opportunities.

These intrinsic values hold probably explained why I burst into tears during the very first scene of Girl Rising.  The organization of the same name, Girl Rising, is "a global campaign for girl's education" with a mission of "changing the way the world values the girl."  The documentary follows the stories of nine girls in developing nations around the world as they strive to complete their education.  The harrowing obstacles and challenges they face are unreal: earthquakes and other natural disasters, sexual abuse, child marriage, and general discrimination against women are all barriers that prevent them from success. However, each of the girls in the film uses her education and determination to break down these barriers, paving the way for girls all over the world and teaching us, the viewers, how to do the same. I highly recommend watching this extremely moving, powerful, and informative documentary. (PS. it's on Netflix.)

As I said before, I truly believe that education can open doorways that are locked and boarded up. When you have the ability to think critically, use practical skills, and carry information about the world's workings with you, it becomes much easier to get involved and make informed (and therefore, better) decisions and choices that can improve the quality of your life as a whole.

When you educate a boy, you educate one person. When you educate a girl, you educate a family and a nation. 

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Facts and Statistics Worth Noting (curtesy of Girl Rising): 

66 million girls worldwide are not in school. That is 33 million less girls than boys. 

A girl with an extra year of education can make up to 20% more as an adult. 

If India enrolled just 1% more girls in secondary education, their GDP would rise by $5.5 billion.