LatinaLista — Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban for wanting to have an education, will always be regarded as the ‘face’ of young girls who must fight against incredible odds to achieve an education — but she is not the only one.
In countries spanning the continents, it is estimated there are 66 million girls like Malala who want an education. Until now, their stories have not reached the international spotlight. Yet, a new global action campaign for girls’ education, known as 10×10, is about to change that with their first film titled Girl Rising.
Girl Rising, due to be released on March 8, International Women’s Day, follows the journeys of ten girls from the developing countries of Cambodia, India, Peru, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Egypt and Nepal. Each girl’s story is transformed for the screen by an acclaimed writer from her native country.
The creators of the campaign and the film — former ABC News journalists with The Documentary Group — say they are focusing on girls because when a girl is educated the well-being of their families, communities and countries are dramatically improved. Also, an educated girl helps reduce poverty, child mortality, population growth, HIV infection rates, corruption and she even has the potential to change the conditions that lead to terrorism.
The film’s organizers are using a new service called Gathr which enables people to set up local screenings of the film. A book club has also been created and how-to directions and resources for starting campus groups, 10×10 also highlights specific ways that supporters can get involved with the related work of ten international nonprofits that serve as the film’s partners, opportunities that are also being promoted on Facebook and Twitter.
The hope is that the film will spearhead long-lasting social change for these girls who want so badly to not just go to school but learn.
