A PATH APPEARS & GIRLS SKATEBOARDING IN AFGHANISTAN!!
It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but as always women and girls are up to a lot of exciting stuff, breaking barriers, and telling their stories. First up is a film called A Path Appears, which is a new documentary by the same individuals who wrote the book Half the Sky.
http://apathappears.org
I was also reading this article in the NY Times about girls in Guatemala who become child brides, and the photographers and journalists who are determined to tell their stories, so that we can stop this. Sometimes I don't think people realize how powerful it is to have an article and short film about these girls, because it ends up humanizing them. It makes them visible, and into people, which is the exact opposite of the way they've been treated their whole lives:
"Child marriage is pervasive in more than 50 countries, with girls in rural areas of developing nations especially vulnerable. In the villages of Guatemala, around 53 percent of women age 20 to 24 were married before age 18, and 13 percent before age 15, according to the Population Council. Many of these girls faced harsh consequences, similar to those of child brides in other developing nations. They had withdrawn from their educations, some as early as elementary school; were subject to physical and sexual violence; risked dangerous pregnancies and went without crucial medical care. Many aspects of their lives were controlled by older men who considered the girls little more than sexual and domestic servants."
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/02/08/opinion/sunday/exposures-child-bride-mother-stephanie-sinclair.html?utm_content=&utm_source=NYT+Child+Brides%3A+Facebook&utm_term=2015-02-07+12%3A40%3A12&utm_medium=Facebook%3A+CARE&utm_campaign=sm_red_Child+Marriage&_r=0
And lastly I wanted to end with a story I just read about an organization that work with street children in the developing world helping them learn how to skateboard. In this case the story highlights girls from Afghanistan learning how to skateboard and stepping into role as leaders.
"One student in the program, Madina Saidy, 16, is now a teacher and recently represented Skateistan in Colombia at the U.N. Habitat's World Urban Forum, where she spoke in front of 25,000 participants on urban equity, Bader told ABC News.
This was Saidy's first trip outside of Afghanistan.
"It's amazing to see a girl from Afghanistan who has been working since eight years old to come this far," Bader said. "She basically taught herself English, and now she's an amazing role model and leader who has even flown internationally."
