Monthly Archives: January 2012

Cupcake Tees and Totes at Shanti Bhavan

Hello World!

My name is Aishwarya and I’ll be the new Shanti Bhavan researcher, reporting on all the great things happening at our partner school in India. I was born in India but raised in the U.S., making me a first generation Indian American. I graduated from the Huntsman Program for International Studies and Business at the University of Pennsylvania and I currently live and work in New York City. Ensuring that females in the developing world have access to education is a cause that is very important to me and I am extremely excited to be joining the She’s the First team!

The proud judge with volunteers Ashley Monroe and Isabel Rutherfurd

Today I bring back an old friend of ours: Remember Jancy? Jancy is a senior at Shanti Bhavan and was chosen to judge the Cupcake T-Shirt Design contest this past Fall. Being the top art student at Shanti Bhavan made her well qualified for the task. Someday, she hopes to be a fashion designer and wants to take business courses in college so she can start her own fashion company. Given how savvy she already is, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were one day running her own fashion empire!

Well it took a while, but here Jancy is receiving her favorite t-shirt pick (designed by Kelsey Thorn, Skidmore College Senior) and tote bag (designed by Krista Firkins, Emerson College Senior).

Jancy receives her "Make a Change Bake a Cupcake" t-shirt designed by Kelsey Thorn of Skidmore College

Jancy's "I'm a Baker, Not a Fighter" Tote by Krista Firkins, an Emerson College Senior

Did any of you pick the same tee? Isn’t it cool to know that all the way in India, Jancy is wearing the same thing?

I look forward to becoming a regular on the She’s the First blog and getting to know you all!

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Education Means Independence for Rwandan Refugee & More

No Justice for Somali Girls and Women?
The famine and mass displacement that has taken over Somalia has opened up a new terror for girls and women: mass rape and an increase in sexual violence. The Shabab militant group, which presents itself as a morally righteous rebel force and the defender of pure Islam, is gang-raping and abusing girls and women at alarming rates. But it isn’t just the Shabab; reports from the area say there has been a free-for-all of armed men, even government soldiers, preying on young girls and women displaced by the famine and desperate for food. In addition, more and more forced marriages are happening as Shabab soldiers raid villages in search of young wives. Unfortunately, very little is being done to protect the girls and women of this country, most of whom are illiterate and relegated to their homes. Read it for yourself here.

Education Provides Independence, Says Rwandan Refugee
Have you ever visited the UNHCR’s YouTube channel? It’s a great place to hear stories of strength, hope, and survival from refugees around the world. One story in particular shows Shadia Mbabazi, 22, who was born in Rwanda but fled with her family after the genocide in 1994. They eventually settled at a refugee camp in Botswana, where Shadia dedicated herself to her studies and, with the help of a scholarship, was able to complete her degree in Community Development. In the video Shadia explains why her education is so important to her, saying,  “I don’t like depending on people, so I felt with my education I can be able to provide for myself and for my family without asking or begging from people.” Watch her video here and watch more at “storytellingunhcr” on YouTube.

Deadly Attack Mars Elections in Manipur
The north-eastern Indian region of Manipur is the first of five states to hold local elections, which will serve as a test for India’s governing Congress party. At least four people are dead after suspected rebels, thought to be members of the National Socialists Council of Nagaland, attacked a polling station in Manipur. Elections will continue in neighboring throughout the next several weeks. Read more here.

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Announcing the First Ever Campus Award Winners!

This year was bigger and better than ever for She’s the First*{Campus} as we ushered in many new chapters, increasing our total number of campus chapters to 21 and getting our name out to colleges and high schools across the country. We were blown away by the creativity, dedication, and enthusiasm that our campus chapters demonstrated during the Fall 2011 semester, particularly during the National Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off. To honor their accomplishments, the new Campus Leadership team for She’s the First voted on the recipients of the first ever Campus Awards. And the winners are….

Northwood High made cards for sponsored girls!

Most Creative: Northwood High, from Irvine, CA, led by Chapter President Maryam Khan. She’s the First*{Northwood High} held an event where club members signed Holiday cards to send to the sponsored girls at She’s the First partner schools with a matching bracelet connecting them to their “sister” in the U.S. that has one too! The chapter also sold “cake pops” as a spin off the signature STF tie-dye cupcake bake sales.

Most Social: Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, led by Chapter President Chelsea Tirrell. She’s the First*{Hofstra} used social media in creative ways to increase awareness in the student body about She’s the First and the activities Hofstra hosted. Nowhere was this more evident than during the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off when She’s the First*{Hofstra} Tweeted a countdown of the number of cupcakes that still needed to be sold to sponsor a girl at Kopila Valley School in Nepal.  They reached their goal…and then doubled it, sending TWO girls to school!

Most Financially Successful: University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, led by Casey Kraft, Monica Townsend and Lindsay Brown. She’s the First*{Notre Dame} raised $1092 this year to renew their sponsorship of three girls at Kopila Valley School in Nepal. The remaining funds were donated to Shanti Bhavan in India in collaboration with other groups from the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off. The money was raised through many tie-dye cupcake bake sales, cupcake “grams” that students could have delivered to a friend’s dorm room, and even a cupcake eating contest!

Events like this cupcake eating contest helped She's the First*{Notre Dame} raise over $1000 and win Most Financially Successful!

So there you have it, from New York to Indiana to California, our campus chapters are spreading STF all over the country, one cupcake at a time. The winners will receive honorary logos stating their award to decorate their social media pages as well as a pizza party for the members of their chapter. We can’t wait to see what the Spring 2012 semester will bring—look for the next round of Campus Award Winners in June!

Interested in creating a chapter of She’s the First at your school? Fill out our application here.

Questions? Contact campus@shesthefirst.org

 

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Rwanda Shows Improvements in Girls Ed, Micro-Credit in Zambia & More

Efforts to Support Girls’ Education Paying Off in Rwanda
The 2011 final examination results were recently released in Rwanda and show that girls’ school performance is improving. Results show that five out of the ten best students countrywide are girls, which proves that the country’s efforts to support girls’ education are paying off. The results also show that girls’ secondary schools are performing exceptionally well, while rural schools are still posting better results than those located in urban areas. Although the examination results look promising, there is still a lot of work to be done for girls and women in Rwanda. Read it all here.

Education for Women is Paramount, says Kristof
Nicholas Kristof, one of our favorite advocates for girls’ education, recently spoke at Stanford University on the profound importance of educating girls and women. The New York Times columnist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner argued that education, particularly for girls and young women, is the key to enacting change in impoverished and developing countries. He went on to say that educating a girl has the power to inspire dramatic change around the world. Kristof ended his discussion by saying, “We, sitting here, have truly won the lottery of life, but with it comes responsibility,” he said. “What will you do with your responsibility?” Read more here.

Micro-Credit Model Helps Empower Zambian Women
The United Nations Development Program is supporting a Bangladeshi micro-credit program that provides loans to female entrepreneurs in Zambia. The loans, which are exclusively given to the most under-privileged women, ranging from $50 to $400. One woman, Elizabeth Sakala-Banda, used a $100 loan to stock her grocery shop with a wide variety of products. Within six months, she had paid off her loan, and made a profit of US$315. Since then, she has taken a second loan to purchase maize and fertilizer, enabling her to participate in her local farmer’s co-operative, and opening up a whole new income-generating activity for her family. Like most women in the program, the added income they earn is used to pay for their children’s education. “The extra money I make helps me buy school uniforms, books and other items for my children,” Elizabeth says. Read more about the program here.

 

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Kristin Sprague

Creative, energetic, and passionate individual studying Graphic Design and French at Hofstra University. Living every moment!
When I’m not on shesthefirst.org, I’m surfing: Twitter, Brit and Co. Blog, Swiss-Miss Blog and anything else that gets me inspired.
Trailblazer I’d Like to Meet: Designer Tina Roth Eisenberg, aka Swiss-Miss
My First: I will be the first person in my immediate family to graduate college.

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Chairwoman: Lindsey Pollak

Lindsey is an author, consultant, speaker and recognized expert on next generation career and workplace trends. She has over a decade of experience advising both young professionals and organizations on the changing world of work. She is a Global Spokesperson for LinkedIn and the author of “Getting from College to Career: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World.” She has delivered consulting, keynote speeches and seminars for over 100 corporations, universities and conferences. Her advice and opinions have appeared in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Glamour, CNN, NPR and NBC Nightly News, and Forbes recently named her website, LindseyPollak.com, one of the Top 75 Websites for Your Career. @lindseypollak

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Vice Chairman: Tom Kerns

Tom retired from his 30 year Wall Street career in 2010 to focus his efforts on enhancing community.  He has headed the accounting and operations department for a $20 billion investment management company as well as being a Managing Director for product and business development at a major international bank. Tom currently sits as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of HK Community Fund, Inc, a community-based charity founded by he and his wife, Jeanmarie Hargrave.  He is also the Chair of the Board of Directors of umojawa, LLC which is an online tool for community and civic engagement. In addition, Tom sits on the Board of Managers of the local YMCA.  Other community projects included co-developing the local girls’ softball program and he also volunteers as a guest lecturer for an Advanced Placement: Economics course at a local high school.

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President & Founder: Tammy Tibbetts

Tammy intended to become a journalist, but she turned into a social entrepreneur, as a result of intense volunteering and travels to Liberia when she was 22. When She’s the First launched as a YouTube video in 2009, she was working at Hearst Magazines. As a web editor from 2007 to 2009, she successfully founded three teen websites in the Seventeen network, and most recently, she was the voice of Seventeen on Facebook and Twitter, as the magazine’s first social media editor. She started working for She’s the First full-time in May 2012.  Tammy lives and breathes She’s the First, oversees all elements of its sustainability and scaling, and is deeply involved in the U.S. student programming side of the organization. She’s currently training for her first half-marathon, to support the newest She’s the First campaign to sponsor girls’ educations this spring. @tammytibbetts

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Director of International Operations: Christen Brandt

Christen runs the international side of She’s the First, from vetting partners and setting up sponsorships to overseeing the penpal program and working on documentaries. In the past few years, she’s held endless conversations with international organizations and delved deep into research to figure out what makes an education program work, allowing her to effectively manage the STF directory of partners and problem-solve issues facing girls’ education. She has thus far visited with our partners in India and Guatemala, and will in 2013 travel to East Africa to visit our five partners located there.

Christen comes from a background of media and magazines; after graduating summa cum laude from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, she moved to NYC to join the staff at Parents magazine. Most recently, she worked for Glamour as a contributing editor, running their Top Ten College Women contest. @cjbrandt

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Sloane Davidson

Sloane is founder of TheCausemopolitan.com and Director of Social Media at mcgarrybowen, an award-winning global advertising and digital agency. She has over 12 years of experience in communications, marketing, strategic partnerships and social media. She is a nationally recognized speaker on “social media for social good” and has raised more than $1.5 million for nonprofits. Sloane spent 2009 volunteering for various projects worldwide, including St. Bernard Project in New Orleans and working in microfinance in the field as a Kiva Fellow in the Philippines. In 2012, she visited Starfish One by One, the She’s the First partner program in Guatemala. @sloane

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Sirleaf Inaugurated, New Guatemalan President & More

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Inauguarated for Second Term
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated today for her second term as president of Liberia, promising continued work on reconciliation in the war-torn country. Read more here.

Guatemala Elects New President
The new president of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, was recently sworn into office after his election victory in November. Molina, a former army general, has promised to bring profound change to Guatemala, including big efforts to restore security, reduce poverty and improve on child malnutrition. Read more here.

First Graduates at Oprah’s South African Girls’ School
In a region where most girls don’t graduate from high school, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is thrilled to celebrate its first graduation with 72 girls, all of which come from poor and disadvantaged families. All of the girls are headed on to university with hopes of changing the world. “When you invest in the leadership of girls you invest in a nation,” said Winfrey. Read it all here.

Maternal Health Challenges in Somalia
According to the World Health Organization, Somalia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. The recent famine has only made matters worse for expecting mothers, many of which are malnourished and living in resettlement camps. A lack of equipment and inadequate facilities have also made it extremely difficult for women to get the proper care they need throughout pregnancy and delivery. Read more here.

Indian Computer Tablet Could Shake Up Education
A new low-cost tablet selling for as little as £35 should allow Indians in rural areas to access the Internet on a regular basis. Read more here.

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Nicole Goldin

Nicole is a global development and social innovation expert specializing in policy, strategy, research, engagement, communication and partnership. She is the first Director of the Youth Prosperity and Security Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) – in partnership with the International Youth Foundation (IYF). Until December 2012, she served as Senior Advisor for Policy at the U.S. Agency for International Development where she managed policy/strategy creation and engagement processes as well as inter‐agency development initiatives, particularly focused on youth and adolescent girls issues. Nicole has lived, worked, and traveled in over 50 countries across all 7 continents. @NicoleGoldin

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Rachel Sklar

Rachel is a writer and social entrepreneur based in New York. She is the co-founder of Change The Ratio, which increases visibility and opportunity for women in tech & new media, and TheLi.st, launching this January with that same mission (supported by the Knight Foundation). A former lawyer who writes about media, politics, culture & technology, she was a founding editor at Mediaite and the Huffington Post. Rachel was named to the Silicon Alley 100 in 2009, 2010 and 2011, FastCompany’s “League of Extraordinary Women,” Forbes’ “Women Changing The World” and has earned numerous honors and awards for her writing. @rachelsklar

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Cari Sommer

Cari is a lawyer turned entrepreneur. She is the principal of a boutique communications firm that develops thought leadership and media campaigns for education, technology and professional services firms. Cari is a contributor to Forbes.com and also the Co-Founder of Urban Interns, an angel-funded company that connects growing companies with part-time help and interns. The company was named One of America’s Most Promising Startups in Business Week. From 2006-2009, Cari served as the Chair of the New York Board of Directors of Step Up Women’s Network, a national nonprofit dedicated to connecting and advancing women and girls. @carisommer

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Add the New @shesthefirst Twitter Background!

The She’s the First Twitter page is rocking this new background, designed by our Art Director Genevieve Tabios! Want to wear it on yours too? Download here and upload to your profile!

CLICK HERE to download the full size!


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Brittany Brothers

Seeker of food for the brain and for the belly. Wanderluster. Documentary Filmmaker. Southern Gal. Pickle aficionado.
When I’m not on shesthefirst.org, I’m surfing: Flipboard – a ‘social magazine’ app!
Trailblazer I’d Like to Meet: Kari Byron (from MythBusters). Reppin’ female tech nerds around the world!
My First: First in my family to graduate from an art school and work in the television industry.
brittany@shesthefirst.org, @beeebro

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Arlington Academy of Hope Takes a Field Trip!

Recently, the lovely ladies of Arlington Academy of Hope in Uganda took a field trip to the nearby city of Mbale. In the photos, the girls were writing down some observations they made at the local bakery they visited and are waiting to enter the train station on a Study Tour to Mbale. Always great to see what the girls are up to at AAH!

Taking some notes!

Excited to be on their field trip!

 

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Q & A with Melinda Gates & Nick Kristof, Progress in Haiti & More

Q & A with Nick Kristof and Melinda Gates
Ever wish you could sit down with Melinda Gates and pick her brain about development issues facing the world? Or what would you ask Nick Kristof if given the opportunity? Check out this recent article to read up on the pair’s answers to readers’ questions on everything from women’s issues, vaccines, and education in the developing world and how someone without a lot of financial resources can help women in need.

Progress for Children in Haiti Two Years after Earthquake
UNICEF released a report showing that recent progress has been made for Haitian children in the areas of education, health, nutrition, and child protection. This news comes two years after a massive earthquake devastated the region and left an entire country in ruins. In total, UNICEF has helped more than 750,000 children attend school, 80,00o of which are now attending school in earthquake-resistant schools. Read more here.

UNHCR Appeals for Massive Humanitarian Support in South Sudan
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres recently called on the international community to provide “massive” humanitarian support for South Sudan, which has seen a big increase in fighting near Sudan’s Blue Nile state between the Sudan armed forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North. Over 28,000 people have already fled to refugee camps and many more are expected. Read it all here.

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Guess What’s Happening at Kopila Valley!

Celebration room

The room is packed at Kopila Valley's anniversary celebration!

As our blog readers know, we’re all about the “firsts” here. However, today I’m writing about a “second” that She’s the First is thrilled to share.  On Christmas Day, Kopila Valley School celebrated its second anniversary! A beautiful celebration filled with butterfly songs, bird dances, colorful streamers and balloons, the students and supporters in Nepal gathered round to commend the wonderful work of Kopila Valley.  The highlight of the ceremony was a moving speech by Deepa Nepail, a young student who is filled with strength, courage, and grace.  Over the summer, Deepa was diagnosed with advanced lupus.  Despite her diagnosis, Deepa attends school daily and shines brightly at Kopila Valley.  In her speech, Deepa reflected on the blessings that Kopila Valley brings and the hard work of her peers.  She finished her speech with this note, “We Kopila children feel lucky that we get this amazing opportunity to study in this school.  We love our school and we are soooo proud of it.  We are the Kopila Children and we are blooming like flowers!!!”  Maggie Doyne, the school’s founder, shared Deepa’s speech in its entirety on her blog here.

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VOICE YOUR VERSE: First Poetry Fundraiser

Our campaign culminates with a live event
during National Poetry Month in NYC!

Purchase tickets & learn more about our guests here.

Can’t make it? Tune into the Livestream below at 7pm EST on Tuesday!

With additional donations & discounts from:

 

 

Studio Instrument Rentals, WPIX & Tamsen Fadal, Sorrelli.com Jewelry, American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Bonjour USA, 100 Hills Coffee

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