Half the Sky

One of my favorite writers/activists is Nicholas Kristof.  He and his wife, Susan WuDunn wrote the critically acclaimed best-seller Half the Sky which explores the role women play in the world and the unfortunate fact that so many women and girls are degraded, abused, mistreated, sold in slavery, uneducated and generally oppressed.  A fantastic documentary has just been released in two parts. The first can been seen until October 8th via the following link and the second part will be aired tonight on PBS at 9:00pm Mountain time.  The documentary is available for purchase as well and I am definitely going to purchase a copy for my digital library.  Enjoy!

http://video.pbs.org/video/2283557115

African Voices

In life we may get discouraged at the thought of all the bad we see in the world.  It can become easy to focus on the negative and feel overwhelmed at the task of overcoming life's obstacles.  While some people see their circumstances as hopeless and absolute, others work to turn their stumbling blocks into stepping stones.  CNN recently published an article highlighting women in Africa who have made the most of their talents and abilities to not only improve their life, but the lives of thousands living in Africa.  These influential women have lifted the lives and spirits of Africans through their hard work and determination.  Take this opportunity to read about these eight "Ruling Ladies" and what they have done to create change in the world around them.  From Head of State to Nobel Peace Prize recipient, these women are worth recognizing for their incredible accomplishments.

CNN's Power Women

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Koins for Kenya Video Clip

Check out this great new clip from our friends at Koins for Kenya-- let us know what you think!

Gender Parity and its Impact on National Security

In her recent book entitled Sex and World Peace, Dr. Valerie Hudson highlights the barriers to girls' education, and the plethora of incredible benefits associated with gender parity and girls' empowerment. While many groups and individuals now acknowledge that educating women and girls impacts local health, Sex and World Peace highlights another key benefit of women's education and fair treatment: national security. Says Hudson: "Interestingly, those states that invest in their women--for example, ensuring that girls are educated to an equal level with that of boys-- are more likely to be wealthy, to be stable, and to be democratic" (18). She adds "What makes a state safer-- power or gender equality? The answer may surprise you: both make a state more secure. Those states that foster gender equality through laws and enforce those laws are less likely to go to war" (18).

Specific to our work here at Grow.Learn.Give., the book notes that "one informant from Kenya told of women having to urinate and defecate in bags during the day, and then having to go out at night and throw the bags as far as they could into the fields. Girls' schooling may become sporadic if there are now adequate facilities for the girls to manage their menstruation at school, and some families may simply take a girl out of school once she begins to menstruate" (55).

This is where Grow.Learn.Give. steps in, providing education and realistic solutions to girls facing education barriers due to menstruation. While our goals are focused on small groups of girl students, we are happy to learn that the outcomes of our efforts might not only impact the individual lives of young women, but also the security of their communities and countries.

Watch this clip with Dr. Hudson for more on the book and its development:

Granny G Raps About Family Values

Here at Grow.Learn.Give we can't get enough of Granny G and her rappin' extravaganza. Check out her stylin' plea to "all those horny boys out there"--




Can't wait to hear her rap for the girls!

Disney's View on Menstruation

We found this fun vintage clip from Walt Disney explaining the process of menstruation. Some of the advice is worded differently than we might explain it today, but overall it was fun to watch and well articulated. Enjoy!

Mothers

In honor of Mother's Day, we thought we'd share a couple infographs that highlight the impact of a mother's education on children, families and communities. Enjoy, and Happy Mother's Day!

 

http://50.usaid.gov/infographic-saving-moms-at-birth/savingatbirth-1000/?size=infographicSmall

http://50.usaid.gov/learning-out-of-poverty/4n8b-usaid-final2-2/?size=infographicMedium