Reporting on Directory Partners

All Fun and Games in Ethiopia and Kenya

The endless talents of the students at the Kibera School for Girls!

The endless talents of the students at the Kibera School for Girls!

As summer approaches and finals are behind us, it’s time to close the books for a bit and think about fun! I wrote to the Kibera School for Girls in Kenya and the Selamta Family Project in Ethiopia to learn more about playtime halfway across the world. In elementary school, my recess usually consisted of hopscotch, foursquare (the kind with a ball and chalk boxes – not a cell phone check-in!), and funnel ball. However, after learning about the schools’ playtime activities like Circus Camp, yoga classes, Ethiopian and hip hop dancing, I’m blown away by incredible ways these girls fill their day.

At the Kibera School, the girls play outside for 30-40 minutes every day after lunch. Typically, the younger girls dance their way through recess, while the older girls jump rope, read, or talk with friends. However, for two weeks recently, the young girls were entertained by the Africa Yoga Project, a performing arts organization that led the girls in yoga, drumming, singing, sign language, face paint, and hula hooping classes! The girls rotated through the different sessions the first week, and then chose their favorite activities to do the second week. At the culmination of Circus Camp, the girls hosted an incredible show for all of the KSG families.

In Ethiopia, the students at the Selamta Family Project also have time each day to relax and play. Though all of the students have break-time during the school day, they usually also play after school before helping out at home or starting homework. Like the girls at Kibera, the students enjoy jumping rope, painting and drawing, and doing gymnastics, but they also love to play card games (especially Uno!) and futbol, or practice their hip hop or traditional Ethiopian dance moves. Some girls spend their recess trying out new hair braiding styles. One of their favorite special events is Selamta Idol!

Both the Kibera School for Girls and the Selamta Family Project believe that all children have the right to play. In writing this blog, I learned that playtime is more than just a fun break in the day, it’s actually a right protected by the United Nations. Article 31 of the UN Convention asserts, “every child has the right to rest an leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities . . .and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.” Whether they’re working hard at reading new books or solving math problems, it’s clear the girls at the She’s the First partner schools fill their day with lots of learning and lots of joy!

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She Just Scored Her First Real Job!

Claudia at work!

Claudia at work!

Claudia knows too well about the “double burden” that her schooling means to her family. Her mother never went to school, and Claudia helps support the family by selling beautiful weavings. She could spend several hours a day behind the loom or taking care of her younger siblings, but instead she is in the 11th grade. There is no high school in her village so she travels in the back of a pickup to a distant city everyday for school. The costs (her uniform, transport, books, photocopies, etc) only go up with every year of her schooling. The “double burden” is the time she is away at school instead of working along with the high costs of her schooling. This puts a ton of pressure on the whole family and makes the situation very difficult.

Claudia in front of her workplace!

Claudia in front of her workplace!

Starfish provides a partial scholarship and the support of a mentor and peer group to help Claudia and her family stay motivated. And more recently, Starfish launched its “Foot in the Door” Program for girls who are nearing the completion of high school. As the daughters of parents who average less than 1.5 years of schooling, the Starfish girls will be the first in their family to seek formal employment. But how will they know what to do when they get there?  Through the BRIDGE Program, Starfish is helping girls like Claudia know what steps to take to ensure that her empowerment and education flourish when she graduates high school. The “Foot in the Door” Program is a part of this BRIDGE Program.

The “Foot in the Door” Program matches each young woman’s professional interests with her first real job. Claudia has always wanted to earn English so she can have the option of working in tourism. She was hired as a part-time assistant in February by the Cacique Inn hotel in a nearby city. In getting hired, Claudia had to do a formal job interview, present her resume, and go through all the standard formalities of applying for a job. She now works on her English with hotel employees and guests.

Today, Claudia is the first in her family to have a formal job. She also earns an important income that helps support her family and studies. Like most first jobs, she will certainly find parts she likes and dislikes. But most importantly, she now has firsthand experience and information that empowers her to become a professional in the future.

STF’s own Kate Lord will be producing a short video on the “Foot in the Door” Program soon!

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The Daily Life of a Volunteer at Shanti Bhavan

[Editor's Note: This is the fourth installment from guest blogger Isabel Rutherfurd, who is a volunteer teacher at Shanti Bhavan.]

Volunteering at Shanti Bhavan immediately pulls you from your world at home and into a new community half way across the world in rural South India. The day you arrive, smiling faces eager to learn your name greet you to learn where you are from and how you came to be at Shanti Bhavan.

Adrienne Pizatella teaches a 6th grade literature class

Your days begin with the whole school having coconut curry, maybe a dosa (an Indian rice pancake), and a cup of chai before dashing off to start the school day. The classes volunteers teach range from grammar to music to accounting. My personal favorite was setting up a model UN with the middle schoolers as part of their history and government coursework. Each class is different, with the personalities the kids shining through to the center of the classroom. However, all of the students value their education as thy realize it is the key to their future success, and an opportunity for them improve the quality of life for their families.

Everyday, the school gathers in the schoolhouse while students share news headlines and kindergarteners explain a virtue like kindness through a short skit they’ve rehearsed with their classmates. These always promise a few “aws” and chuckles, as well as a chance for the young ones to bask in the limelight.

Later in the day, kids get a chance to unwind while the volunteers oversee a game of basketball or soccer. The physical activity is a great break for everyone from the academic collaboration between volunteer and student that happens throughout the day. Volunteers share their knowledge and experiences with the whole community of Shanti Bhavan, and in return, grow meaningful relationships with the students who look up to them as role models. It is an incredible experience that makes every volunteer feel lucky to have had!

Isabel Rutherfurd poses with her 5th grade students after performing a bhangra dance with the other volunteers

Want to help more girls learn to dream big at Shanti Bhavan? Come out to the GIRLS WHO ROCK show in New York City on Friday, May 18th. Check out additional details about the concert including talent line-up and buy your tickets here! You can follow along on Twitter (of course!) at @girlswhorockny | @shesthefirst | #GWR2012

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Shanti Bhavan Student On How Education Empowered Her to Dream Big

[Editor's Note: This post is from guest blogger Isabel Rutherfurd, who is a volunteer teacher at Shanti Bhavan.]

Catherine describes her dreams to study Psychology and reflects on the future she would have had had she not been a student at Shanti Bhavan

Catherine, an 11th grader at Shanti Bhavan, explains the difference her education has made in her life.

Catherine says that had she not come to Shanti Bhavan, she “probably would have dropped out of school to work at the stitching factory where they make clothes.”

She goes on to say that when in her 20’s she realizes she would have been home with children doing housework. “At home, my sister and my brother– they are just working and they are not paid enough. They have been working for a long time, ‘cheating’ about their age because in India you have to work above 18, but they needed to get a job. They work, but it’s not a good job. My mother was working as a janitor in a company, but she had a lot of aches in her legs, so she’s at home now.”

Catherine is a great student who excels in her coursework, loves film, and dreams big about the future. She says, “The education, which I got at Shanti Bhavan is really good. I think I have a lot of opportunities after coming to Shanti Bhavan. After leaving Shanti Bhavan I think I will [study] psychology and pursue it to help people.”

“I am extremely happy I came to Shanti Bhavan,” Catherine says. “It has changed my life a lot; it is the home which everyone can dream of.”

Want to help more girls like Catherine learn to dream big? Come out to the GIRLS WHO ROCK show in New York City on Friday, May 18th. Check out additional details about the concert including talent line-up and buy your tickets here! You can follow us on Twitter at @girlswhorockny

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Hope for Water at the Kibera School for Girls

Community members at the Clean Water Project in Kibera

Community members at the Clean Water Project in Kibera

Did you celebrate World Water Day on March 22nd? Children worldwide, especially young girls, suffer at the hands of unclean water. When water isn’t easily accessible, education also becomes less obtainable. Girls are typically the ones responsible for walking miles each day to fetch water for their families, thus taking them out of school and often placing them in harm’s way. Given these circumstances, it’s no surprise that the She’s the First partner schools I work with pour so much effort into bringing water points closer to their schools and communities.

At Shining Hope for Communities, home to our partner, the Kibera School for Girls, Kibera residents pay up to ten times more for water than those in the capital city of Nairobi. Kibera residents’ unclean water supply takes a disastrous toll on the city’s health. However, we can’t forget that hope is right in Shining Hope for Communities’ name!  Shining Hope is rejuvenating its community by providing Kibera’s largest single water point.

The Clean Water Project is in its pilot phase, but already provides 12,000 people per day with clean water. How does this impact the community? The Justin-Jinich Community Clinic is now better poised to prevent and treat waterborne, infectious diseases. Shining Hope sells clean water below the market price so no family is cutoff from access to clean water. In addition, the water tower profits will be used to help fund the Kibera School for Girls.

Shining Hope for Communities’ Clean Water Project unites the Kibera community in developing a sustainable model to ensure that this basic human right—access to clean water—is met. In collaboration with The Safe Water Network, Newman’s Own Foundation, Nairobi City Council and David Engineering Ltd., this truly is a community-based project. There’s an inextricable link between access to clean water and girls’ education. Shining Hope for Communities proves that by bringing water to a community, the ripple effects are tremendous!

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Shanti Bhavan Students Head to Japan

The 4 Shanti Bhavan finalists: Rahul, Akash, Catsiya and Yeshwini

Have you ever dreamt of spending a summer in Japan? At Shanti Bhavan, 7th-9th graders have a great summer opportunity to attend ISAK, a leadership summer camp near Tokyo, on full scholarship. The summer school program is offered entirely in English and emphasizes diversity, leadership and creativity. Students attending ISAK (which stands for International School of Asia, Karuizawa) get to participate in a rigorous curriculum that includes a variety of courses from Science, Math and Literature to International Negotiation, Theater and Non-verbal Communication, Sports/Yoga, Music and Japanese as well as various leadership and diversity seminars. ISAK focuses on creating a diverse student body from countries all over Asia and the four Shanti Bhavan students who attended last year were praised by the staff for adding a very unique perspective to the group.

We have no doubt that this year will be the same! For the past few months, 11 of the best 7th-9th graders at Shanti Bhavan went through a rigorous application process to apply to the program. In order to be considered, the candidates had to write two essays, answer several short answer questions and get letters of recommendation from their teachers; sounds a lot like college applications to me! The pool has now been narrowed down to four students: 8th graders Rahul, Akash, Catsiya, and 7th grader Yeshwini (We sponsored her with tie-dye cupcakes!) who will have to go through a series of Skype interviews with the ISAK faculty. If chosen to go, these students will be leaving India for the first time and experiencing their first-ever airplane ride. It will be an eye-opening experience to interact with and learn from children in other countries and gain confidence by traveling to a foreign country. We wish Rahul, Akash, Catsiya and Yeshwini the best of luck!

To learn more about ISAK, check out their website!

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Community Service at Kopila Valley

Students from Siddha Bahira practice sign language with Kopila Valley

Last month was community service month at the Kopila Valley Children’s Home in Nepal.  Within the first week of the service celebration, the students had already cleaned litter from a local park, visited and gave gifts to hospital patients and cleaned the city’s iconic Deuti Bajay temple.  Their good work was featured on the front page of the local newspaper as well as on national Nepali television!

On February 3rd, children from Siddha Bahira, a local school for deaf students, visited Kopila Valley. No talking was needed to play games, share a meal, or face-off in a soccer match. After Siddha Bahira’s chairman taught the Kopila Valley students basic sign language, the students divided into different classrooms to practice together.

As the week drew to a close, the students at Kopila celebrated Sabita’s birthday and helped out with the construction of the school’s new science and computer lab. Despite all of this exciting activity, Maggie, the school’s founder, writes that things are quiet and happy at Kopila Valley. However, she warns to tuned because some “big dreams are brewing!”

To read more about day-to-day life at Kopila Valley, visit Maggie’s blog.

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Shanti Bhavan: A True Life Cinderella Story

A few weeks ago, we touched on the subject of the caste system in India, an archaic social structure that is preventing the Dalit caste, which is a large portion of India’s population, from getting the opportunities they deserve and the opportunities that are their legal right.  The founder of our partner school in India, Dr. Abraham George, founded Shanti Bhavan based on the principles that every child has the capability to change the world if given the right resources, an idea we definitely believe in. So I dived into the philosophy behind Shanti Bhavan a bit more, and loved what I found:

Dr. George even wrote this book, "India Untouched," about his experiences opening the Shanti Bhavan school in India.

Dr. George realized that a country with a government plagued by corruption is not capable of taking care of its population; and simply giving money to the government in support of support educational projects did no good. In 1995, Dr. George left a lucrative Wall Street career to return to India and set up Shanti Bhavan. This way he could ensure that every penny donated would go towards educating the students admitted to his school. Shanti Bhavan is a truly progressive school where students get a well-rounded education and are encouraged to take part in extracurricular activities, a truly radical idea if you look at the education system in the rest of India. Here are some fast facts about Shanti Bhavan:

The Shanti Bhavan model…

  • The Shanti Bhavan model identifies and educates tomorrow’s leaders of professions, politics, and society from within the ranks of India’s most deprived families.  The school’s model rests on three pillars: promoting academic achievement, instilling values and inspiring leadership.
  • 95 percent of shanti Bhavan’s students belong to the Dalit, or formerly termed “untouchable” communities, from families well below the Indian poverty line of $48 USD per month for a family of four or more.
  • Children are exposed to a diverse curriculum of academics that ensures all-around development, such as liberal arts, athletics and debate taught by both a local faculty and international volunteers representing 12 countries.

The Shanti Bhavan model seems to be working…

  • All students who took the level X ICSE exam in 2008, 2009 and 2010 passed with First Division, equivalent to a 3.5 GPA and higher by U.S. standards.  Half of the students scored “Distinctions,” above 75 percent, the highest scoring category.  No other Indian school in history has achieved such success within the Dalit community
  • In 2010, Shanti Bhavan celebrated its first graduation of 14 students.  All 14 graduates were accepted into top colleges in Bangalore, many of which are considered among the top 10 undergraduate colleges in India.

While Shanti Bhavan is a fairly young school (the first class graduated in 2010), I have no doubts that its graduates will go far. Already, the students are attending the top universities in India! Shanti Bhavan students are truly a real life Cinderella story. To learn more about the school, check out this link.

 

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Reading Time at Selamta Family Project

Selamta Family Project's own story, An Unlikely Family

Last week, I wrote about reading time at the Kibera School for Girls in Kenya and Kopila Valley Children’s Home in Nepal. I’m happy to bookend that report with an update from Mia Brown at the Selamta Family Project in Ethiopia. Just like the children in Kenya and Nepal, Selamta’s students love to read everyday! From in-class reading exercises to reading for fun after school, Selamta students dedicate a great portion of their day to reading.

The children at Selamta used to meet every Saturday morning to read together, but their family has grown so large they had to divide into three groups! The youngest children have the earliest reading time, and meet with Abel, Selamta’s director, for about an hour. Abel typically chooses Ethiopian fables, or other stories with moral lessons. The older children are often found reading Ethiopian novels long after the school day ends.

Each home at Selamta has its own bookcase that’s stocked with donated books. Most of the children’s books are in Amharic, Ethiopia’s national language. Mia commented during her recent trip she read “Knuffle Bunnies” and “Zak the Yak” to the students.

Of course, I couldn’t write a blog post about books at Selamta without highlighting that Selamta has its own book! Winner of four literary awards, “An Unlikely Family” tells the tale of the children whose lives have been uplifted by the Selamta Family Project. The book was written in collaboration with American volunteers and Selamta students. All children at Selamta have read “An Unlikely Family,” a story about their stories. To read my last post on this book, check out this link. One hundred percent of the book sales directly support the children at Selamta Family Project.

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Celebrating Women’s Day with the Kibera School for Girls

The girls at the Kibera School for Girls are all style and substance!

Last Thursday, our friends at the Kibera School for Girls in Kenya celebrated International Women’s Day with song, dance, poetry, a fashion show and soccer match. The day was filled with joy as the entire community honored the strength and contributions of women. The girls were all smiles on the fashion show catwalk, stopping the show in shimmery gold dresses, feather boas, sparkly tiaras and colorful beads. Community members also cheered on a friendly soccer match between Shining Hope for Communities and Kibera Women for Peace. The Kibera School was joined in the festivities by local organizations like CareKenya and Fairness and Women’s Empowerment Link.

Though the day was filled with happiness, the Kibera Schools took time to call attention to a critical issue impacting women worldwide. They recited a poem that encouraged women to have the courage to rise above domestic abuse.

The girls read,

“It’s all up to you
You just have to get the courage to move on to something new
It’s not going to be easy.
Take it one day at a time.
They have to subside and you will finally have a peace of mind.”

The day’s theme, “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures” epitomizes the incredible work of the Kibera School for Girls. Everyday, they nurture the minds, bodies, and spirits of their young girls to be tomorrow’s leaders. To catch a glimpse of day’s big celebration, click here to see photos taken by The Kibera Mirror, the local newspaper.

How did you celebrate International Women’s Day? Tweet us your answer and share in the comment section below!

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Inspiring Words from a Soon-to-Be Author at Shanti Bhavan

Shilpa Raj: Shanti Bhavan alum, 4th Grade Teacher and Soon-to-Be Author

Our guest blogger, Isabel, has been working closely with Shilpa Raj, a Shanti Bhavan alum who graduated last year and decided to stay on to teach the 4th Grade at Shanti Bhavan while finishing up her memoir. Isabel has been working closely with Shilpa and Dr. Abraham George (the founder of Shanti Bhavan) to edit the book, which they hope will be published in the next year. Check out this excerpt of an interview that Isabel did with Shilpa:

One of my greatest joys at Shanti Bhavan has been getting to know eighteen-years-old Shilpa Raj who is setting out to write a book that captures her experience as a young girl leaving a life of poverty behind to study at Shanti Bhavan. Letting Shilpa explain herself in her own words, I asked her the following questions:

Isabel Rutherfurd: What would you say your book is really about?

Shilpa Raj: My book is the story of my life. The book has been divided into three major parts: The first part describes the lives of my father and generations before him. I come from a community in which people made their livelihood from brewing liquor illicitly. I tell the story of the day to day lifestyle of these people, what motivates them, what drove their actions and their understanding of live. It is my understanding of my family.

The second part of the book talks about my life between school and home. My life is divided between school and home which I get to visit during vacation. As I get older I begin to get confused as to where do I actually belong, what are the principles that I want to guide my life by or the individual I want to grow to be.  As a teenager living between these two contrasting worlds, I always do not make the smartest decisions. Along the way I begin to learn from my mistakes.  I am on a quest to find my identity and find my purpose of being.

The third part of the book deals with me choosing the world I want to lead the rest of my life in and the person I want to grow up to be.

IR: What is your book called and why did you decide to title it that?

SR: My book is called, ‘The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter.’ We grow sugarcane in my village. The elephants come and feast on these plantations, causing a lot of destruction to the livelihoods of the farmers. At night men like my father go out to chase the elephants away. That is why I call myself the daughter of the elephant chaser.

This title in a subtle way brings out the theme of living between two worlds. Even though I am the daughter of the elephant chaser, my life is completely different from the way his is. I think and believe differently. As father and daughter, we are very different.

IR: What unique perspective do you think your book offers the world and what are some of the main points that you hope to communicate through your book?

SR: Coming from the voice of a girl who came from poor circumstances but studied in a school that offered her a good future, this book talks about the need of an education for every child and the empowerment it can bring about.

IR: What have been some of the challenges in writing this book?

SR: There were times when some of my family members did not want to tell me their story, either because they were shy or because they didn’t see any point in what I was doing.

IR: How do your family and friends feel about your undertaking to write a book?

SR: It is a very strange idea for my family. Everybody at school supports me and believes in me. Initially it was very hard to explain to my family as to why I was taking the year off to work on a book instead of going to college. No one in my village has ever done something like this before and I can understand why my family was uncertain of my decision. Some of them are disappointed that I do not want to become a lawyer or something more conventional.

IR: Is there anything you want to challenge your readers with in your book?

SR: The message that I want to convey to the readers is about change. Dr. George brought about change in my life by giving me the opportunity to study at his school. This opportunity has broadened my chances to a better future. If one man could do so much, then surely a whole group of people can do more.

What do you think of Shilpa’s journey and decision to write a book? I find her absolutely inspiring given everything she has had to overcome to live her dream. I can’t wait to read her memoir!

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“The More That You Learn, the More Places You’ll Go!”

Students at the Kibera School for Girls at reading time

Students at the Kibera School for Girls love reading time!

When I asked the directors of our She’s the First partner schools which books their students liked to read, I had no idea that I’d find myself saying, “That was my favorite book! I remember that one . . . and that one too!” I never would’ve guessed that young students in Nepal and Kenya love Charlotte’s Web or Ella Enchanted as much as I did in elementary school. What I wasn’t surprised by was the students’ absolute love of reading.

At the Kibera School for Girls in Kenya, all students have time set aside everyday for reading. Girls in 1st-3rd grade enjoy daily reading time in either the classroom or in the library.  The students also take turns reading aloud to the entire class. Some of their favorites are the Amelia Bedelia series and Frog and Toad. The pre-K and Kindergarten students love to listen to their teachers read Miss Wishy Washy and Elmo books. They also have plenty of time to practice their reading and look through colorful picture books.

Libby Doyne and Kopila Valley’s English teacher wrote that their students “can often be seen with their noses in a book at recess!” Even though the students read at the library everyday, they can’t get enough of their new favorite book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.  Their teacher said, “They even yell out to read faster when time is running out because they want to find out what happens before the bell rings.”  Some of the students even take the book home to read it again and again.  A few times a year, older students help teach their younger reading buddy.

These stories reminded me of Dr. Seuss’ quip, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!” In writing this post, I was amazed to learn just how far my favorite childhood stories have traveled. Years ago, my friends and I used to giggle over Shel Silverstein’s silly poem “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too.”  Now, girls in Nepal are pouring through this same book, maybe even smiling over the same lines I did.  The joy that I found, and that you found too, in learning to read is the joy that our young generation of girls is discovering right now.  From the lines of #VoiceYourVerse poetry to a poem nestled in the well-worn pages of Where the Sidewalk Ends, you, me, and young girls thousands of miles away are united by the joy of learning.

Kopila Valley students' favorite new book!

Kopila Valley students' favorite new book!

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Overcoming Obstacles to Education in South Sudan

Photo from Project Education Sudan

Photo from Project Education Sudan

An editorial published by “The Citizen” on February 24th called attention to the correlation between extremely low literacy and school attendance rates among the female population of South Sudan. I was shocked to learn that 90 percent of rural women in South Sudan are illiterate. The ripple effects of illiteracy result in women earning lower wages, having less protection of rights and have fueled South Sudan’s status as the having the world’s highest maternal and infant mortality rates. Two dominant obstacles, described below, deter females in the region from attending school.

1) Early Marriage – Entering young girls into marriage, sometimes as young as 12 or 14, is still valued among some families in South Sudan. But when a young girl is married, the chance of her returning to school is virtually zero. The role of mother trumps the role of school student. Although Sudan passed the Child Act just a few years ago to grant protection to children forced into marriage, this custom is still practiced in some rural areas.

2) Preference for educating males – A commonly held belief in Southern Sudan is that a girl’s place is in the home. When making a decision to send a son or daughter to school, most often the son will be given preference. This is because males are expected to be educated to earn a living, while a daughter is to be married because a marriage can bring in wealth for her family. The editorial describes this as an “endless circle in our communities.” When a daughter is married, her spouse will typically trade her for livestock with her family. These cattle will then be given to the brother, who can give these heads of cattle to his future wife.

To learn more about the school and the obstacles described above, I provided some links for more learning:
“The Citizen” Editorial - South Sudan: Girls’ Education Should Be Promoted
South Sudan: High hopes for defeating “neglected” diseases
Marriage quashes education hopes of South Sudan’s girls

On the positive side of things, our partner school in South Sudan, Project Education Sudan, is a first in its own right. The first all-girls school in the region, Project Education Sudan houses 700 girls at Ayak Anguei Girls’ Primary School. By providing boarding facilities, Ayak Auguei allows the girls to flourish as students, not young mothers or wives. So while it’s important to know the statistics and obstacles for girls in the area, we can also very clearly see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s why we believe so strongly in education, and we can’t wait to see this generation of South Sudanese women begin to reshape their country.

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The Caste System and Challenges for Seniors in India

[Editor's Note: This is the third installment from guest blogger Isabel Rutherfurd, who is a volunteer teacher at Shanti Bhavan.]

Shanti Bhavan's graduating class of 2012: Rising stars who are breaking the boundaries of the caste system and applying to the top business, law and medical schools in South India

In India, the caste system has long been ingrained in society, and has been causing problems for the lowest castes all the while. The system is an archaic social order that segments the Indian population into social classes based on roles and status in society. The Brahmin caste (or the priest class) is the highest ranked,  and the dalit caste, or the “untouchables,” is the lowest. The Indian Constitution rejected the concept of an untouchable caste in 1950—but although no longer officially sanctioned, the idea of untouchability remains alive in much of rural India. Members of the lowest castes are forced to drink from different wells, attend different temples, and stay in different parts of the villages. The government has made efforts to combat caste-based discrimination by providing members of the lowest castes with a fixed percentage of federal jobs and reserving a proportion of seats in parliament, but it hasn’t been successful in eradicating the generations of discrimination against these people.

The senior class at Shanti Bhavan, like most students here, is comprised of students from the lowest castes. Each one of them has taken steps to get closer to fulfilling dreams of attending law, business, and medical schools; dreams that are still ground-breaking for someone from their caste. But despite federal laws prohibiting caste discrimination, the students face a harder time going through the college application process than peers of a higher background.

The entrance exam for medical school in India requires the lowest castes pay additional fees to take the examination, and the college applications require identification numbers that many of the children have never been issued. Identification numbers (like the Social Security numbers we have in the United States) help the government prove an individual’s identity and keep a record of them. To this day, the majority of Indians do not have a uniform and sound way to prove their identity and existence, though there has been much headway in recent years (check out this link to learn more about the UIDA and India’s Identity Scheme). When national institutions bound by law to provide equal educational opportunities charge the poorest citizens more money to take entrance exams and require proof of identification they have no access to, the discrimination in play becomes incredibly obvious.

Since there are so few members of the lower castes applying to medical schools and colleges, there has not been enough demand on the national institutions to effectively change their procedures. In recent years, private organizations have realized this grave mistake on the part of the Indian government and have been working closely to have these discriminatory practices eliminated. In the future, we hope (and are working hard to make this a reality!) that many more children will be able to break the cycle of poverty in their families, and apply to any and all universities, regardless of their background. We can provide these brilliant, driven students with what they need to overcome these obstacles and achieve their dreams.

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It Takes a Village: Nepal and Kenya

 

Marty working with the children at the Kibera School for Girls

Marty working with the children at the Kibera School for Girls

 

 

As I read about the ongoing activities of our She’s the First partner schools, I’m reminded of the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I originally imagined this saying applying to the school founders, board members, teachers, community supporters, and students living and working in Nepal, Kenya, Ethiopia – wherever our partner schools do the incredible work they do! However, I’m noticing a trend that gives new meaning to this phrase. The “village” I originally conceived isn’t limited to local boundaries or lines on a map; it spans the globe! Everyday, I read about the relationships that our partner school founders foster with family and friends their homes in the United States.

Jessica Posner, cofounder of Shining Hope, was recently joined by her former middle school principal, Marty Caplan, in Kenya.  After reading about Jessica’s work with the Kibera School for Girls, Marty and his wife Arna volunteered their combined 70 years of teaching experience to develop math curriculum for Kibera’s girls!  Marty secured new “Math in Focus” curriculum for the students and is also developing a reading recovery program. He and his wife have been training teachers in Kibera for the past two weeks! The couple said, “We have fallen in love with the Kibera community. The teachers are bright and very receptive to learning new methods. The children are so impressive. Working with them cannot help but make us smile.”

Maggie Doyne, founder of Kopila Valley Children’s Home in Nepal, is constantly updating her blog with visits from family and friends.  For four months, Maggie’s cousin Julia worked and lived side-by-side with the students.  Her mother and father have devoted so much love and attention to the kids of Kopila Valley as well. Maggie’s uncle Ed worked for three months as “Mr. Fix-it” at the school. The children know Maggie’s sisters, aunts, and other close family members.

These are just a few of the countless examples of “villages” that transcend classroom walls or city gates.  She’s the First is part of these growing villages too! Together, we form an intricate network of support and love; we’re committed to raising a generation of girls who are the first in their own village to share a gift that keeps on giving – an education.

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The Voice Your Verse Campaign and Updates from Jancy

Everyone’s aflutter at She’s the First gearing up for our first ever Voice Your Verse poetry campaign. The goal is to compile an anthology of original poetry written by YOU, and 100% of the profits will go toward funding girls’ education. What are you waiting for? Submit your original poems!

Not only will you have the chance to have your work published, but you could win a $500 college scholarship and Chegg for Good is MATCHING that with a $500 scholarship for Jancy, a student we sponsor at Shanti Bhavan!

We were first introduced to Jancy when She’s the First started sponsoring her through funds raised at the She’s the First Soiree held in November 2010. She soon found herself with a network of new friends through the She’s the First Digital Pen Pal program, and this past Fall, she put her passion for art and design to good use by judging the Tie-Dye Cupcake T-Shirt Design contest.

Jancy is now a senior at Shanti Bhavan and will be graduating in June (we’ll be attending!). Though she will miss Shanti Bhavan, she is eagerly looking forward to going to college to study business (and eventually wants to get her MBA). Check out the video below to hear from Jancy herself on her hopes for the future and her reflections on her time spent at Shanti Bhavan.

 

 

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A First at Starfish One by One in Guatemala

Jeronima, the first Starfish One by One mentor to have graduated from the program!

Jeronima, a former Starfish One by One student, is a lady of many firsts. She is the first in her family and the first in her entire community in rural Guatemala to graduate high school. She was a member of the first generation of Starfish One by One graduates. Now, she is the first Starfish “organic produce.” Jeronima is now the mentor for the newest group of adolescent girls in Starfish. The “Triumphant Ants” will have the support of Jeronima as their mentor for at least the next three years. She will be able to provide them with support and having been through the program herself, relate to what her students are going through. Felicitaciones Jeronima and we wish you the best of luck in your new Starfish role!

 

Jeronima with her mentorship group

Jeronima with her mentorship group, the "Triumphant Ants"

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Traditional Indian Art at Shanti Bhavan

[Editor's Note: This is the second installment from guest blogger Isabel Rutherfurd, who is a volunteer teacher at Shanti Bhavan.]

Students at Shanti Bhavan work together to create traditional Rangoli designs

Traditional Indian art made its way to center stage this week at Shanti Bhavan. I had the pleasure of leading the fourth and fifth grade classes in the creation of a customized rangoli in the school’s courtyard. Rangoli is a traditional folk art made from colored sand or rice flour and is thought to bring good luck. Shanti Bhavan students learned some of these symmetrical patterns and put their skills to good use, creating the largest rangoli the school has ever seen.

A student methodically working on a Rangoli design

Each rangoli design is brightly colored and usually located in doorways, courtyards, and other sacred areas. Because of the good energy these designs bring a household, rangoli designs are essential to the presentation of any household. Each rangoli pattern is passed down from mother to daughter and drawn each morning, just after the sun rises. While students at Shanti Bhavan learned these designs from their teachers, their designs maintain authenticity and bring excitement and color to the campus!

Note from Aishwarya: I’m very impressed with how elaborate and intricate these designs are! I remember making rangoli designs for Diwali with my mother when I was a kid. (Re-purposing leftover sand from my Sand Art kits, the American version of rangoli!) The students at Shanti Bhavan did a great job, don’t you think?

Students hard at work

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Drought Brings Dry Spells to Classrooms

 

A young boy's toes go unprotected as he carries river water back to his classroom in East Africa. Tony Karumba/AFP - Getty Images

As an elementary school student (okay, and as a high school student too), snow days were among the happiest days of the year.  I never thought twice about feeling anything other then joyful when school was cancelled because of weather. But for students in Ethiopia, climate has presented a huge educational obstacle to overcome. In January, UNICEF reported that over 450,000 young children in Ethiopia have seen their schooling opportunities threatened by natural disasters and conflict. It seems that droughts leave more than just the land barren; classrooms are taking a hit too. Torn between drought, flooding and windstorms, some regions in Ethiopia suffered a 50 percent dropout rate in just one month this summer. Unfortunately, these dropout rates have become the norm.

Each day that passes of a child not attending school increases the likelihood that the child will not return. To mitigate the devestation, several steps are being taken to get kids back in school before it’s too late. An article published by “IRIN” highlighted the effectiveness of school feeding programs and flexible calendar scheduling. The World Food Programme in partnership with other organizations is spearheading a “food for education” program. Serving a meal or snack during the school day has proven to be a great incentive for parents to send their children to school. Plus, the extra nourishment helps the young students focus on their studies, rather than on their rumbling stomach. A more flexible school calendar allows the children of pastoralists or nomadic populations to migrate when drought hits without the consequence of missing school. The school calendar would be designed so that class didn’t meet during the driest seasons.

Currently, the WFP is still seeking funds to provide assistance to children in Ethiopia in need of food and educational aid. To learn more about how drought can impact a child’s schooling, click here to watch a UNICEF video from 2007 when the same desperate circumstances arose in Ethiopia.

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US Ambassador Visits Kibera School for Girls

Ribbon Cutting 

 

Ribbon cutting for the new Kibera School for Girls with Margaret Patricelli, Judy Gration, Bob Forrester, Jessica Posner, Kennedy Odede, and Ambassador Scott Gration (from left)

As we welcomed in the new year, the Kibera School for Girls welcomed an ambassador! Earlier this month, the school celebrated the arrival of Scott Gration, US Ambassador to Kenya, and his wife Mrs. Judy Gration.  The Ambassador and his wife joined Kibera’s students in honoring Newman’s Own Foundation, a major supporter of the school since 2009.  The Newman’s Own Foundation is instrumental in funding Kibera’s school, clinic, bio-latrine, and Clean Water Project.  Bob Forrestor, the foundation’s president, joined the Ambassador and Mrs. Gration in cutting the ribbon for Kibera’s newest clean water tower and school building.  Katherine Kitfield Bascom, Shining Hope’s Associate Managing Director, reported, “Our new school building is providing our students the space they need: larger classrooms, art studios, a hall for performances and parent meetings, and more. The clean water tower kiosk has started selling water, and we are thrilled to report that it’s been quite busy every day!”

Judging by what I read about the girls on Kibera’s Meet the Students page, I had a feeling they’d have no trouble impressing the US Ambassador and his wife with their bright personalities.  The 2nd and 3rd grade classes shined on stage as they performed their play, “Lack of Education.”  The story chronicles two parents who feel education has no place in their lives.  Everything changes when they meet a student from the Kibera School for Girls who kindly offers to read a letter for them.  They’re amazed by what this young girl can do and need no further convincing to enroll in Kibera’s Parent Education classes.  Bascom commented, “The girls are amazing actresses – loud voices with very exaggerated character development.”

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