Monthly Archives: November 2011

Girls’ Ed in Pakistan, Shakira Promotes Girls’ Ed & More

Girls’ Education in Pakistan: Not So Easy
In Balochistan, girls face many challenges to receiving basic education, including a lack of teachers and supplies as well as attacks on schools. Read more here.

Is the Ghana Education Service Corrupt?
The Chairperson of the Accra Chapter of the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC), Judith S. Sawyer, has described the Ghana Education Service (GES) as one of the most corrupt institutions in the country. She says the corrupt nature of the Service is preventing donor institutions and development partners from extending financial support to the sector. Read more here.

University Scholarships Offered to Women in Sierra Leone
The southern city of Bo, Sierra Leone is offering a five-year scholarship to girls who remain abstinent until they complete university. Read the story here.

Shakira Continues to Highlight Need for Improved Education in India
Pop singer Shakira recently visited a group of adolescent females in a residential education program in Udaipur, Rajasthan to tell them the need for education, especially for girls and women. In Udaipur the literacy level is around five percent for women and Shakira acknowledged the need for major improvement, saying that “girls are a precious resource of intellectual and physical ability – a resource that can help to further society. They need the chance to be educated and empowered.” Read more here.

Ghana’s Girls Guide Association Celebrates 90th Anniversary
Ms. Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology in Ghana, recently spoke at the 90th anniversary celebration of the Ghana Guides Association in Accra. Ayittey, a strong advocate for the education and empowerment of girls and women, affirmed the celebrations’ theme, “Together Women Can Change the World” by saying that given needed education and empowerment, women can become agents of change. Check it out.

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Thanks to Our Incredible In-Kind Donors!

 
These companies make our events possible by reducing expenses with in-kind donations.

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She’s the First…Seen in a College Newspaper Near You!

You may remember hearing the good news a couple months ago — She’s the First won the Campus Media Group PSA contest! This means that ads (designed by our talented Art Director Genevieve Tabios of Syracuse University), which encourage college students to get involved and start She’s the First*{Campus} chapters, will be printed for FREE in campus newspapers across the country!

Campus Media Group informed us today that so far, 26 separate college newspapers ran our ads, at a total value of $12, 229.21!  Below you can take a glance at what it looks like in Unviersity of Alabama Birmingham’s Kaleidoscope.

The ads have also appeared in Ohio State’s Lantern, , Rutgers’ Daily Targum, and University of California – Santa Barbara’s Daily Nexus, among many others!

Interested in starting a campus chapter, or encouraging your alma mater to do so? Apply here!

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Pakistani Girls Defy Taliban, Oxfam in South Sudan & More

Oxfam Withdraws From South Sudan As Violence Grows
The British humanitarian group Oxfam recently pulled out of South Sudan’s border region amid growing violence. The country separated from Sudan earlier this year and violence along the border has since escalated. Oxfam issued a statement that said, “New bombing raids and a buildup of troops along the border of Sudan and South Sudan over the past few days threaten to escalate what is already a significant humanitarian crisis in the newest country in the world.” Read more here.

US Troops in Uganda Will Remain Until LRA Leader Captured or Dead
Troops sent to Uganda last month join the efforts of four central African countries as they conduct a massive search for Joseph Kony, the Lord’s Resistance Army leader. The LRA has been attacking, raping, kidnapping and killing thousands of civilians in Uganda for nearly a quarter century now. The US troops will likely remain until Kony is either captured or killed. Read the full story here.

Pakistani Girls Defy Taliban School Bombings
In 2007 the Pakistani Taliban launched a campaign to stop girls from getting an education and have since bombed hundreds of schools, most recently the Government Girls Primary School No. 3 located in Swabi, Pakistan. Despite the Taliban’s destructive acts, the girls of School No. 3 are determined to continue on with their education, especially Sana Khan, who dreams of one day becoming a doctor. The girls will carry on with their studies on the grass in a courtyard near the school. Read more here.

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Shining the Spotlight on Shining Hope

 

Shining Hope for Communities

Smiling students at Shining Hope for Communities

It was the Girl Effect that brought me to She’s the First.  In a matter of minutes, they had me hooked. Three years later, it’s this video that keeps me coming back for more. Reinforcing with every second, every pound of the piano keys, every word that flashes across my screen, that my passion for what She’s the First is doing grows.  If you haven’t seen it yet, or just need your daily dose of inspiration, watch here, then read on to see how this powerful video is continuing to make waves for girls’ education.

Shining Hope for Communities, one of our directory schools planted in the Kibera slum of Kenya, received the incredible honor of winning the Girl Effect Challenge!  In addition to the tremendous coverage this brings to Shining Hope, this distinction also comes with a prize of over $25K!

Now, Shining Hope has the opportunity to double this prize, but needs some Facebook love to make it happen.  They’re in the running for the CHASE Community Giving award, and simply by voting on Facebook before Tuesday, November 22nd, you can help secure Shining Hope’s spot as a Top 100 finalist.  With this honor comes another $25,000!

Katherine Bascom, Shining Hope’s Projects Manager imagines how huge of an impact $50,000 would have on the girls living in Kibera.  She writes, “How many more girls we could educate, how many more sanitary toilets we could build to prevent waterborne illness and disease, how many more lives we could save in our clinic by hiring more nurses and community health workers.”

So quick, get on Facebook; spread the word and vote!  Katherine says, ”The Girl Effect Challenge has shown us how powerful our community is and what is possible when we join together.” Let’s spark a girl effect of our own.  Rally the She’s the First troops, guys and girls alike, and let’s make this big prize happen for Shining Hope!

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Great Holiday Gift for a Teen — and it Gives Back to STF!

Becca Wertheim - author, cupcake queen, and STF campus leader!

Did you know the newest She’s the First*{Campus} chapter is at the University of North Carolina – Asheville, and that the impressive founder, Becca Wertheim, is already a published author? Each month, her book, Live High on Life, supports an organization through an awareness platform called Project Twelve. Project Twelve supports the most deserving organizations which help young people. For November and December, Project Twelve is supporting She’s the First, which means that a portion of all book sales will go directly toward sponsoring girls’ education in the developing world!

We asked Becca to guest blog to explain more about how she is changing the world! Take it away, Becca!

***

I’ve been an avid fan of journaling since I was seven years old, when I received my very first journal as a gift. Writing soon became one of my favorite ways to express myself. The best part was that I could write down all my crazy awesome ideas of how I would change the world, and my journal couldn’t discourage me. It couldn’t say, “Becca, those things will never happen. They’re impossible.” Instead, it was just there, full of hundreds of blank sheets waiting for me to fill them. I’d write about how I wanted to be a teacher and a motivational speaker, traveling the world and helping as many people as I could. Those were (and still are) my biggest dreams.

In high school, I started to realize that many of my friends and peers, who also had awesome goals for their life, were being discouraged from actually reaching their goals. I hated seeing friends with so much potential give up on what was important to them, and I knew that it was time for me to make a positive difference. That’s why during my junior year of high school, I decided that I wanted to write an inspirational book for teens to help encourage them to follow their dreams. The way I looked at it, if I would be able to actually write and publish a book at age 16, then that would be a perfect example of how young people can do anything they set their mind to!

My book all started with a journal entry where I was writing a list of tips and advice that I thought other teens would find helpful and inspiring. This journal entry eventually evolved into a 12-chapter book, covering topics such as loving yourself, building self-esteem, setting goals, and never giving up. The book is also filled with true stories from other teens, positive quotes on every page, and even journal prompts! Writing the book was so much fun for me, because I was able to combine two of my favorite things—writing and helping others—to make a difference. After a couple years of writing combined with lots of hard work and determination, Live High on Life was published in November 2010.

My hope for Live High on Life is that it will continue inspiring other young people to follow their dreams. Living high on life is all about creating your own happiness and living the life you’ve imagined, without letting anyone or anything keep you from reaching your dreams. For me, one of those dreams was to write a book and now that I can check that off my list, I’m excited about moving toward my dream of teaching in a developing country.

Becca at her tie-dye cupcake sale!

Whether you’re like Tammy Tibbetts, with the dream of creating a non-profit to sponsor girls’ education, or like Maggie Doyne, with the dream of building a school in Nepal, or like Linsday Brown, who envisioned the power of a tie-dye cupcake, I want young people to realize that they can do ANYTHING they set their mind to, even when it seems impossible. When we combine our HUGE dreams with passion and perseverance, then the seemingly impossible suddenly becomes possible. I mean let’s be honest…who would’ve ever thought that a week’s worth of cupcake sales could raise over $19,000!

But we did it; we made it happen. She’s the First is moving forward and shaping the future for girls’ education in the developing world. By believing in ourselves, we’re helping girls around the world believe in themselves as well. I love my generation of change-makers and I hope that all young people will find what they’re passionate about and just go for it, fearlessly. Together we are changing the world, but most importantly, we’re teaching girls in the developing world how they can change the world, too!

To support She’s the First, be sure to order a personalized copy of Live High on Life at www.livehighonlife.com! Everyone will also receive a free copy of Success for Teens with their order.

Keep dreaming BIG!
xoxo,
Becca Wertheim
@BeccaWertheim
Facebook

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#CharityTuesday: Arts & Crafts Time!

For this #CharityTuesday, we want to share with you some of the fun times students around the world are having with art!

Check it out:

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Africa’s First Female President Re-Elected, English in South Sudan & More

Africa’s First Female President Re-Elected
Amid violence and low voter turn out, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was confirmed as Liberia’s president after a controversial election in which her opponent, Winston Tubman, pulled out of the race. Tubman urged his supporters to boycott the polls over fears the election was rigged, which caused chaos and violence on the eve of the election. President Sirleaf begins her second term with a divided nation, but promises to work with opposing parties. Read it here.

English for Schools in South Sudan
South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, is home to over 60 indigenous languages. In hopes to unify the nation, the South Sudan Legislative Assemble (SSLA) recently passed the Higher and General Education Bill, which declares that both primary and secondary education will only be taught in English. Furthermore, there will be no subjects taught in Arabic by the end of this year. Get the story here.

Combating Grenades with Balloons in Kenya
Ever have the Monday blues? For artist Yazmany Arboleda the answer to overcoming your gloom is a yellow balloon. The artist recently handed out over 10,000 yellow balloons to commuters in Nairobi in hopes to help combat that negative Monday morning perception. But Arboleda isn’t just about spreading a little cheer, his mission is to counter grenades with balloons. For Kenya, a nation that has been on high alert since the government sent troops to Somalia in pursuit of al-Shabab militants, it’s yet to be seen if Arboleda’s yellow balloons will send a message of peace. Check it out here.

Study Finds Developing World Upbeat and Rich Countries Pessimistic
More than 25,000 people were included in a survey by Globescan that shows those living in developing economies were consistently more upbeat and positive compared to those in “rich” nations. Japan, France and Germany were said to be the most negative, while Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt scored as the happiest. Read more here.

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She’s the First Success Story Premieres on NBC!

This commercial, which aired during the Notre Dame football game on NBC yesterday, is one of the most powerful two minutes I’ve ever watched:

You’ll recognize Lindsay Brown, of course! She’s the creator of the first tie-dye cupcake bake sale for She’s the First, which sponsored the three girls in Nepal whom she visited on this trip–when she created the first girls’ soccer team at Kopila Valley School.

Lindsay’s cupcake sale exactly one year ago inspired the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off this past November 1-8, for which 100 teams signed up! The grand fundraising total is still being tallied, but I can tell you this: It’s no chump change. We’ll announce later this week!

So, what do you fight for? She’s the First is proud to fight for girls’ right to an education and their opportunity to break barriers and be a “first”…with all of you, I feel like we’ve created quite an all-star team to fight in the most creative, productive, and peace-building way possible.

Thank you, Maggie Doyne, for working so tirelessly on a school and building a community of deserving children for us to support. Thanks to Maddie Fox, the NCAA-winning womens’ soccer team at ND, and She’s the First*{Notre Dame} for helping to make this small idea so huge, and thank you, Notre Dame, for bringing millions of hearts to Surket, Nepal. You never know where it will lead…hopefully to many more sponsorships, and in turn, girls who are the first to graduate!

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Savoring Cupcake Success at Ithaca College!

Below is a guest post from Food for Thought’s Communication Director, Colleen Wormsley.

Food for Thought's colorful cupcake table!

Food for Thought's colorful cupcake table!

When I first saw a picture of a tie-dye cupcake tweeted by She’s the First this summer, I fell in love. As an avid fan of baked goods and social good, I knew that the She’s the First Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off would be an awesome fundraiser for Ithaca College’s Food for Thought to support. I knew that the bake sale would be a great way to help a girl in a developing country, but I didn’t realize how our sale would help in so many other ways.
1. It helps a girl in India receive an education. All of the money raised by Food for Thought will support a girl at the Shanti Bhavan School in India. This school is especially amazing because it provides girls in the lowest caste in India with an opportunity they could have never imagined – an education. Shanti Bhavan breaks the cycle of social discrimination and allows disadvantaged girls to reach their full potential.

2. It helps a local business. Food for Thought sold tie-dye cupcakes that were graciously donated by Purity Ice Cream, a local ice cream shop and bakery in Ithaca, NY. We were able to encourage students to support a local business by providing Purity Ice Cream with free publicity. Purity’s specially-made tie-dye cupcakes became a must-have item on campus!  Heather Lane, the owner of Purity Ice Cream is also a professor at the School of Business at Ithaca College, so we were especially eager to help promote the company’s generosity!

3. It helps establish awareness of Food for Thought on campus. Through our She’s the First Tie-Dye Cupcake Sale, Food for Thought was able to spread awareness of its mission to serve children around the world who are lack access to quality food and education. Our cupcake table attracted so many people who might not have known about Food for Thought and our members were eager to enlighten students about our role on campus. We had new faces join us at our meeting on the Monday following the bake sale, when we Skyped with She’s the First’s Researcher, Hannah Brencher. Food for Thought’s Facebook likes, Twitter followers, and interactions all increased during the bake sale which will help Food for Thought reach new people in its future endeavors.

4. It helps me put my marketing major to use for a good cause! As the Communications Director of Food for Thought, I was able to apply what I’ve learned in my classes at Ithaca College. I created a communications timeline, designed promotional materials, pitched media outlets, updated Food for Thought’s social media outlets, and made sure our table looked fabulous. My experience with the She’s the First Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake Sale is relevant to my career goals and has provided me with great experience that I can put on my resumé.

I’m so glad that Food for Thought was able to help so many people by selling the most adorable (and delicious!) cupcakes ever. All of our members had so much fun and we’re all looking forward to next year’s bake sale!

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Join our Google+ Book Club: Half the Sky

Make plans to join us this Monday, November 14, at 7 pm for our second She’s the First Book Club meetup! It’s easy to join: Just tweet @shesthefirst and @erinleighNYC that you’re attending, then add She’s the First on Google+. We only have 10 spots, so be sure to RSVP before we fill up.

We’ll be discussing “Half the Sky” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, so pick up a copy and get reading! If you haven’t read the book, no worries–we’d still love for you to join. See you on Monday!

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What’s Next for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bakers!

I can trace the idea for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off back to April 11th, 2011, when I had the chance to meet one of my Twitter role models, @amanda, for coffee at Starbucks. Amanda Rose is the founder of the biggest social media fundraiser, Twestival, and in one conversation she got me thinking about scale, something She’s the First had yet to truly achieve. We hadn’t broken ground on a big national campaign yet.

Exactly a year ago, Lindsay Brown, Maddie Fox, and friends had a tie-dye cupcake bake sale in their University of  Notre Dame dorms that raised $900 to sponsor three girls at the Kopila Valley Children’s School in Nepal. The blog coverage on shesthefirst.org inspired copy cats, and I noticed several other tie-dye cupcake sales pop up at random times to fundraise for girls’ sponsorships. What if, I started to dream aloud with Amanda, we got student bakers across the US to sign up to host tie-dye cupcake bake sales during the same week? She said, yes, do it!! And we did. Cupcake teams, YOU did.

All that's left of the Tie-Dye Cupcakes...

100 teams signed up, across 32 states, plus Australia and DC, and your checks are now on their way to She’s the First — every penny goes to sponsor girls inthese schools. By the end of this week, we’ll be able to announce a grand fundraising total, and in December, you’ll meet the sponsored girls on shesthefirst.org!

I’m a little sad to see our first-ever Tie-Dye Cupcake Week end, but I know we’ll be back even bigger next year! More importantly, I know this is just the beginning of our journey together. She’s the First made so many new friends — and we haven’t even met the girls we sponsored yet. (That will  happen in December!) Together, we proved cupcakes can really change the world, and every single person who purchased a cupcake now understands why girls’ education equality worldwide is worth standing up for.

Popcorn Factory prizes for the Cupcake Award winners!

In the meantime, we’re going to celebrate your success with daily Cupcake Awards, from November 9th-15th! The winners will be announced on Facebook and receive these prizes pictured from The Popcorn Factory. You can have a little celebratory party with your team!

Check out the photos that the Tie-Dye Cupcake Teams have been uploading to Flickr below!

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Day 8: Woo hoo, That’s a Wrap!

There will be many more tie-dye cupcake bake sales to fundraise for She’s the First in the near future (some more of them are even this week!), but today is the last official day of the Bake-Off!! Now we get to number crunching so we can announce a national grand total to you by the end of the week! Also, starting Wednesday, November 9th, we’ll be awarding a daily Cupcake Award for the next 7 days…time to celebrate your hard work! The sponsored girls will be presented in December!

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#CharityTuesday: Sports Bring Girls Together!

While our partner programs are scattered around the world, with different languages and traditions, the girls we support can all appreciate sports. Sports teach children to work together and promote self-esteem and mutual respect, according to UNICEF. Plus, the girls have a great time!

Take a look at some of our global sisters at play!

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Day 7: Extra, Extra, Read All About Tie-Dye Cupcakes!

It’s Day 7 of the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off and we’re not losing any steam — look at all of you go! Even making front-page news. Great diversity among today’s active teams too: College Greek life, little girls at the LaBella Cupcakes shop in Cleveland, a magazine staff, peacemaking workshop, and more!

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Educating Girls Crucial as World Passes 7 Billion & More

Empowering Girls and Women Crucial as World Passes 7 Billion Mark
As the world population grows to seven billion, empowering girls and women is more important than ever according to a report by the United Nations Population Fund. One theory to reduce population growth is to increase education and healthcare for girls and women, which leads to decreased birth rates. In heavily populated countries like the Philippines, where the poorest women give birth to six or seven children, investing in education may serve as a powerful tool in slowing growth. Read more here.

First Female Head Trainer Named in U.S. Pro Sports
The first female head trainer in the history of major U.S. professional sports has been named. Sue Falsone was recently hired as the Los Angeles Dodgers head athletic trainer. In an arena highly dominated by men, this historic decision is sure to break the glass ceiling. Read more here.

Child Marriage Burdens Young Girls in Nepal
While the child marriage rate in Nepal is dropping, the practice is still common among poor families living in rural communities. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 51 percent of Nepalese marry as children. As more than half the population lives on less than $1.25 a day, many families cannot afford to send their children to school ands girls marry young as a result. Increasing education in Nepal, especially for girls, will help prevent this trend. Read more here.

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Day 6: A Strong Sunday for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off!

Tie-dye cupcake teams, you continue to amaze us!! You worked so hard this weekend — we’re cheering you on!

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Day 5: Sweet Saturday Tweets from the Bake-Off!

Just because it’s Saturday doesn’t mean that our Bake-Off teams take it easy! Quite the opposite — they’re working even harder to attract visitors for Parents’ Week, or alumni who are taking a stroll through campus!

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Photos from Our 2nd Birthday Bash at Molly’s Cupcakes

While tie-dye cupcake week is taking the country by storm, we celebrated our second birthday here in NYC at Molly’s Cupcakes, a cupcake shop in the West Village. They created tie-dye cupcakes especially for us, and donated the proceeds to She’s the First. Check out some of the best shots of the night — and if you’re ever on Bleeker Street in NYC, stop in and say hi for us! Trust us, one bite of their cupcakes and you’ll be a fan, too.

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#FF to #STFCupcakes Teams! Day 4 Tweets

What can we say — you all made this the sweetest week ever! Next week, we’ll be able to announce a rough fundraising total, and in December, you’ll see the girls who have been sponsored!

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