Women’s rights and girls’ education news keeps popping up all over, and She’s the First has noticed! That’s why we’re introducing News Bursts, weekly updates on headlines from around the globe to keep you up to date. Now you can find all of the important girls’ education news, all in one place!
Three Cups of Tea Controversy
In a 60 Minutes story on Sunday, reporter Jon Krakauer accused Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson of fabricating parts of his book and receiving excess benefits from his organization, the Central Asia Institute. CAI responded with a statement on their website [Editor's Note: Website is currently running slow due to high traffic] and answered 60 Minutes’ questions here (pdf). Get the 60 Minutes’ version of events here.
Support for Womens’ Political Rights Builds in Zimbabwe
In an effort to increase their political, economic, and social rights, women in Zimbabwe attended an international conference last week to push for a quota system. The women seek to implement quota systems so that they have equal opportunities to hold decision-making roles. Dr. Amany Asfour, one the systems’ largest proponents emphasized, “Women need to be networking, educated on project development and need education to be successful. They need to have the power for choice and voice.” More about quota systems can be found here.
Are Women the Key to Eradicating Hunger?
In developing countries around the world, women constitute the bulk of the agricultural labor force. However, the UN reports that female farmers “consistently have less access to resources and opportunities.” The report went on to say that by bridging this gender gap, nearly 150 million people could be lifted out of food insecurity. To read more about how women can be empowered to end hunger, read this Pulitzer Center/Global Voices Online series on Food Insecurity.
Education, The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Kakenya Nteiya, a strong girls education advocate, was among the first girls in her community to leave her Maasai village in Kenya and study in the United States. Now, in addition to studying for her PhD at the University of Pittsburgh, Kakenya opened a school in her home village, Enoosian. Kekenya said, “For me, education was the path to my empowerment and freedom.” Read more about her inspirational story here.
