‘Worldwide, girls constitute over half of the
children out of school. Only 30 percent of all girls are enrolled in secondary
school. In many countries, less than one third of university students are
women. The average sub-Saharan African girl from a low-income, rural household
gets less than two years of schooling and never learns to read and write, to
add and subtract, as opposed to the average sub-Saharan African boy who fully
completes primary education.’ (Day of the Girl)
Project start up has got to be one of the hardest, most discouraging stages in life.
Putting that idea into reality is tough, heh? What keeps you going? What keeps
you motivated? What keeps you dreaming and believing? Find that thing that
motivates you when you feel like you're not seeing the results you desire and
press on till you see it all.
So after what has seemed
forever (1 month = 10 Evelyn years), I can finally share more information about
warrior women. I am truly excited
because this past month has led to people and places and opportunities I can't
even begin to explain coherently. I have found such amazing people who have
believed in my dream and me, and readily got on board to support the education
and empowerment of all girls.
I wish we lived in a fair
world, you know? Where girls everywhere
had the same access to good, safe, quality education. Where girls were not
afraid to go to class because of lurking danger. We are standing in for all the
girls who dream to be more, who dream of attending school, who want safety from
perpetrators. How do we do this? We do this by taking up pens, books and
pencils and empowering our own through education so that ONE DAY, they may
stand and fight for others.
We are fortunate to live in a
country where girls are not threatened with guns and knives, but we have our
own struggles. These obstacles include, cultural barriers, poverty, illiteracy,
gender inequality, and general hopelessness that stand in the way of many
girls' access to education.
My hope is that warrior women will implement its programs and also supplement the existing efforts of civil society and individuals to get these girls to stay in school, attain at least a secondary education, and to get other girls enrolled in school. I know we can't get all of them in school at once, and I wish, oh I wish we could but we shall start small, and ONE DAY we shall have a multitude of girls attending school. We know that education is essential in the promotion of gender equality, poverty reduction and a vital ingredient for global peace.
In light of all the above I
created a website where you'll find most of our information (side note: if you want to create your own website this is great and it's FREE, you can
upgrade for a reasonable fee). Also,
I cordially invite you all to support our first online campaign called 'I am a girl' to support our initial programs.
In a few weeks, I will upload
profiles of the girls whose lives you're going to change through your generous
contributions. In the meantime please check out our website and campaign to acquaint yourself with our vision and mission for our country. Spread the word
boldly and let's stand together for a time such as this.
I am also excited to announce
that we shall be having annual events and hopefully we'll see you at one of the
few events we intend to hold. We are in the process of preparing for our very
first event, a documentary showcasing the urgency of educating girls globally.
The first show will be held in Kumble theatre Brooklyn (date to be announced), followed
by one in Kampala in December (date and place to be announced).
Our hope is that you will join
us in the cause of the girl child. We want you
to be part of the revolution and join the movement to empower girls through
education. This isn't just a 'girl thing’; we all need to be on board for real and lasting change to be realized.
Let's all think of the girls
in our lives who we would fight for to get something as basic as an education
and channel that energy towards the education of one girl, then another, and
another until we gain victory.
I feel an uprising, a
generation of girls and women who stand up for each other regardless of race,
and ethnicity. We are the generation of men and women making it our duty to
represent the unrepresented. 'A girl in the developing world still faces
overwhelming odds from the day she’s born' (because I am a girl). Let's change that, shall
we?
X
Evelyn
