Tag Archives: STF360

STF in Nepal: Teaching the Kids to Create Films

Did we tell you the Kopila Kids are also budding filmmakers?

With school back in full swing, it was time for Britt and I to jump head-first into our role as teachers at Kopila Valley. Since we were going to be spending so much time filming the students and the school, we decided to switch gears and put the kids behind the camera for a documentary video workshop!

Armed with five donated Flipcams (thanks to Brittany’s family!), we kicked off two days of hands-on workshops with the 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders. First, we held a group discussion on the basics of a documentary, and the kinds of things the students would want to document. It was fascinating to learn about the subjects they were interested in — we talked about everything from their soccer team and their teachers to more serious topics like arranged marriages. We then ran a practice interview exercise to get them asking the right questions, a task that conjured some serious giggles but also some serious reporting right off the bat. Then it was time to split into groups and start producing films!

Each group decided on a topic they could tackle within the school’s gates, and after a quick course in Flipcam basics we sent them out of the classroom with a camera, a checklist, and one hour to make a movie!

The kids had a blast interviewing each other and the staff and volunteers and getting B-roll shots of their subjects. They set scenes, tracked down the teachers who were experts on their topics, asked tough questions, and continued to giggle a lot as they interviewed each other for the first time on camera.

After the hour was up, we collected the cameras. We couldn’t wait to see what the kids had come up with! With some quick editing by Britt and myself over the next few days, the films were ready for Kopila Valley’s first-ever documentary film screening!

Everyone laughed, applauded, and cheered on their classmates as we watched their videos together in the school’s computer lab. Already, the kids were ready to talk about what they learned and how they could improve for the next round. We hear whisperings that a Kopila Valley news team will be emerging in the very near future, and I personally can’t wait to see what they churn out next!

Want to see the results? Here are a few of our favorites – and trust me, it was pretty darn tough to choose!

And we even taught the boys, too! ;)

(Photos by the fantastic Brittany Brothers and Benjamin Heiber. Videos by the uber-talented Kopila Kids, of course.)

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

STF in Nepal: Shopping for Kurta Surwals

Kopila Valley took a holiday from school on the day after Christmas to recover from their big Annual Day performance, so Britt and I took advantage of the break to see the town and experience Nepali culture. The girls were impressed that we wore traditional Nepali dress (kurta surwals) on Annual Day, so we thought it was time to get our own. With the help of Hima, one of the fantastic girls we sponsor, and some of the Kopila Fellows, we set off to the market to pick out some fabric.

We were overwhelmed by walls and walls of fabric choices, but Hima stepped in to translate and help us choose (and took over as photographer – she might have a career there!).

After we made our final picks, and found matching shawls, we went for the girls’ favorite snack – chaat, which is a mixture of potatoes, chickpeas, onion, tomatoes, and a heavenly array of spices. So. Good.

The next step was a trip to the tailor to get measured for our kurta surwals to be made.

A few days later, and the results are in! The girls are incredibly impressed. Even though my hair is a bit too blonde, they think we rock the Nepali fashion. I’ve also been taught the multiple ways to wear the shawl. I’m a bit of a scarf fiend in the U.S., but these were all new to me!

How do we look?!

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

STF in Nepal: A School Day at Kopila Valley

After all the Christmas festivities — and a day of vacation for the students to recover from the big show (we went shopping with Hima; look for that post next!), we finally got to experience our first full school day in Nepal.

As soon as you step inside the gates of Kopila Valley, the world gets just a little bit happier (arguably, the kids and the baby chicks on the walk there help with the lead-up). The students and teachers alike couldn’t be more welcoming. I’m likely to start greeting people in my office with “Namaste” when I return to the States, guaranteed.

Each grade has their own homeroom, and the halls are plastered with artwork, stories, paper snowflakes – you name it. These kids are on top of their decorations. (Remember that Annual Day stage? They did that too.) The students definitely take ownership of their school, and are incredibly proud to show it off.

The classrooms surround the Kopila Valley Organic Garden — just another shining example of the kids’ accomplishments. The students are broken up into houses, Hogwarts-style, and each house has control of a plot of the garden. They compete against each other, with the help of their “Aunties” (the incredible women behind the scenes at KV, who help teach and raise the kids), to see who can produce the best crop. I can’t say I have enough of a green thumb to tell you who is winning, but the whole thing is pretty darn beautiful. The garden is a large provider of food for lunch at the school, and a great way for the students to learn about sustainability.

We caught some of the girls we sponsor in class, all smiles, of course. Here’s Jarana, who’s in Class 4:

And Sarita, also in Class 4:

And Parbati, a kindergartner. We know — we love her hair, too:

Finally, here’s Anusa, Class 2, seriously concentrating on her lesson:

The school bell rings at 4 p.m., but the students stay for hours afterward, playing sports and hanging out with their friends and the staff. Here’s Swastika (left), a kindergartner, playing musical chairs.

Soccer practice is always half giggles, half serious competition, with a heck of a lot of skill. Suscila, pictured here, is particularly great:

Around dusk, the Kopila kids finally head home. We’re a small amount of exhausted, but we can’t wait to be back for day two. We’re also teaching a video workshop with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades this week — stay tuned to find out how it goes, and to see the films the kids make!

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Merry Christmas from Nepal!

This Christmas, Brittany Brothers (STF Videographer extraordinaire) and I (your trusty Penpal Coordinator) are spending the holidays in Surkhet, Nepal, with our fantastic partner school Kopila Valley.

Brittany and Brianne with Hima in front of the Kopila Valley School

Best Christmas Ever? That would be a bit of an understatement.

The kids at Kopila Valley celebrate and learn about holidays from all cultures and religions, but Christmas is clearly a school-wide favorite. And not only is December 25th a day for Christmas trees and carols about Santa Claus (they know all of them!), but it also marks the anniversary of the school’s founding and the much-anticipated Kopila Valley Annual Day Celebration!

A crowd gathers for the Annual Day celebration!

The Kopila Kids pulled out all the stops for their school’s third birthday, putting on a four-hour performance full of songs, dancing, drama – even a flashmob-style Black Eyed Peas number! These kids are crazy talented, and man, do they know how to put on a show. Check out the photos below for some stellar appearances by the girls we sponsor – we were blown away!

And then, for the most incredible Christmas surprise yet, the Kopila Kids found out they are getting their very own school bus!

*Note: This is not the actual bus.

After Annual Day, we headed back to the house for a Momo dinner party (a Nepali dumpling, and the kids’ all-time favorite food), and then gathered around the Christmas tree for what has to be the most wonderful and hilarious gift-opening sequence we have ever experienced. The kids each picked a name for their Secret Santa earlier in the week, and had a blast watching each other open the gifts they had gotten. Britt and I even got our very first Mango juice boxes!

Christmas in Nepal!

Talk about an incredible welcome to Nepal! Now we’re ready for a week of filming, teaching, and hanging out with the girls we sponsor. Stay tuned; there’s more to come!

(Photos courtesy of Brittany Brothers and Kopila Valley Fellow Benjamin Heiber)

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

STF in India: Answering Your Questions!

We promised we’d get around to answering some of the questions you left here on the blog, so here we go! I recruited Jancy to poll the other students and take over answering your Qs.

Sarah B asks:

I guess the first thing I’d like to know is what the girls enjoy most about school? And what are their favorite subjects? Can’t wait to see more posts!

Answer: We love almost everything about our school! But, we enjoy living and growing up together the most. Prathibha loves Chemistry while Maheshwari loves Biology. Some of the other favorite subjects are Economics, Accounts, and Literature. Apart from academics, everyone loves sports.

Rahul asks:

I want to know what motivates the girls to go to school ? Is it shelter, Food, Security ?

Answer: Shanti Bhavan is a boarding school but we do understand the  importance of education. We know education is the key to the many doors we want to open in life! [Ed. Note: That is an actual quote.]

Claire Biggs says:

I’d love to know what the students are interested in and what – if anything – we can do to encourage them in their studies.

Answer: See above for our favorite subjects, but some of our hobbies are: dancing, singing, listening to Top 40s music, drawing, and doing henna on Christen (or maybe that’s just me). We love getting your comments — and writing to penpals!

Randy Ross says:

My interest is in the food in India with emphasis on bread / sweet goods – let us know what is a special bread in India.

Answer: There are so many! Chappati is made from wheat and we eat it at lunch and dinner; dosas are made from rice flour and we have them for breakfast with chutni. In the North, they eat naan, which is a thicker flat bread. Then there’s rotti, which is similar to chappati but a little harder. None of them are very sweet though…we like our food spicy here!

Emily F. asks:

Did u see any tigers? Another question is how old are the girls when they go to school? What do their homes look like?

Answer: Christen hasn’t seen any yet! And she probably won’t. They’re located mostly in the zoos and in the North! We come to Shanti Bhavan when we are four, from all kinds of homes. Some of us come from the city and others live in villages — it depends on the girl!

Aishwarya writes:

The one thing I want to know about the Shanti Bhavan students is if THEY have any questions for US! We’ve gotten to know a few of them really well through the She’s the First blog, but is there anything about us they’d like to ask or know more about?

Answer: We’ve been asking Kate and Christen tons of questions since they got here. We’re so glad we’re getting to know STF better!

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

STF in India: This One’s for the Foodies!

The question Kate and I seem to get most often from our friends stuck at home in the U.S. is “So how’s the food?” Our answer? Awesome. Really freaking awesome. Here, a small sampling:

Dinner: Chappati, lemon rice with lady's finger, and a tiny bit of (really spicy) mango pickle

(All photos by the [currently ravenous] Kate Lord.)

Dinner: Chappati, chicken in a mystery sauce, beets, and a pea curry

Breakfast: Masala dosa with chutni. Every time this is served, everyone does a dance. It's filled with potatoes and spices.

Breakfast: Idli (the white things) with coconut chutni and vada (the doughnut thing that does not remotely taste like a doughnut)

Puri (yum!) with chickpea curry and green things. Puri is fried in oil, making it the best bread-thing.

Breakfast: Upma with curry, a hardboiled egg, and tea

Lunch: Chappati, rice with dahl, and cabbage.

All meals, all hours: Tea!

All meals: Adorable.

 

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

STF in India: Guest Post by Jancy & Saritha

[Editor's Note: This post was written and photographed by Jancy, Saritha, and Chaithra, three Shanti Bhavan graduates.]

Yesterday the four of us (Jancy, Maheshwari, Shilpa, and Saritha) went to visit Jyoti Nivas College, where we are going to study. It was the first time we traveled by bus alone to Bangalore. It was an interesting experience. A few SB alumni, Chaithra, Kavitha, and Lilly, helped us to fill in the forms for paying the fees for the courses we are going to take.

Here is our photo journal of the day:

This is a picture of us sitting in front of the auditorium.

This is a picture of us sitting in front of the auditorium.

Tada! This is the entrance to the Jyoti Nivas College.

Tada! This is the entrance to the Jyoti Nivas College.

"Yay! This is the auditorium of my college!" says Maheshwari.

"Yay! This is the auditorium of my college!" says Maheshwari.

This is the gigantic auditorium of our college. Saritha can't wait to play the piano while Jancy will sing in the choir.

This is the gigantic auditorium of our college. Saritha can't wait to play the piano while Jancy will sing in the choir.

The building in front of Maheshwari and Shilpa is where we are going to have our classes.

The building in front of Maheshwari and Shilpa is where we are going to have our classes.

Yummy yummy in my tummy tummy.

Yummy yummy in my tummy tummy.

This is a cafeteria of the college.

This is a cafeteria of the college.

This is what we had for lunch in the cafeteria. The waiter gave us four options of dishes for 15 rupees each: rice, poori, plain dosa, and chappati. The picture shows a meal with rice, curry, chutni, yogurt, vegetable salad, and boti (the cylindrical colored things, which are Maheshwari's favorite).

Actually...Jancy doesn't even like coffee.

Actually...Jancy doesn't even like coffee.

Three of us, Saritha, Shilpa and Jancy, sit outside the gates of the college.

Three of us, Saritha, Shilpa and Jancy, sit outside the gates of the college.

Yippeeeeeee...

Yippeeeeeee...

Jancy makes jumping pics seem easy.

Jancy makes jumping pics seem easy.

This is us traveling...alone!

This is us traveling...alone!

To finish things off, here’s a quick video of Jancy and Maheshwari on campus:

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

STF in India: Let’s Play with Henna!

If Kate and I had more time, there are many, many things we’d want to do while in India. For example, I’ve always wanted to attend a gigantic Indian wedding, we both want to try out an Indian fortune teller, and we’ve talked a lot about the pros and cons of renting a motorbike for the day (like an awesome adventure v. imminent death). But one thing we were absolutely going to do before heading home? Play with henna!

Henna has been used for centuries — apparently even Cleopatra used it (according to Wikipedia, at least). It’s derived from a plant and used everywhere as a hair and clothing dye, but it’s probably best known for its use as a temporary tattoo, especially on special occasions. The henna is basically a dark goo when applied, and you peel it off piece by piece when it’s dry. Tradition says that the darker the henna stains on a bride’s wedding day, the happier she’ll be in her marriage. We might not be there yet, but we were definitely looking forward to doing it for fun. Luckily, the girls here are incredibly talented at henna art. Preetha and Jancy went to town on Kate and me, and I think the results speak for themselves. Check it out:

This is actually the second of three sessions Jancy and I had throughout the day!

(By now you know: All photos by the quick-handed Kate Lord.)

The hardest part of this whole process? Keeping my hand still while she drew on my fingers!

Preetha created a design down the front of Kate' arm

She actually used maroon henna, so it would be shades of red after peeling.

And the finished results?

Pretty incredible, right?

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

STF in India: Graduation Day Bonus!

If you follow the blog regularly, you probably know Jancy by now. And as you’ve put together from my last post, she graduated this week! So here’s a quick clip of something I think you’ll all find pretty awesome:

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

STF in India: Graduation Day!

After days of preparation and celebration, graduation day finally came bright and early — we headed over to the girls’ dorm at six in the morning to help them get ready! The aunties tied saris while the volunteers handled hair and makeup. Despite the early hour, we had music pumping and everyone’s spirits were up. Ashley and Lizzy even pulled off some dance moves while curling Jancy’s hair (not recommended for those of you at home:

(Of course, all photos by the ceaselessly-talented Kate Lord)

Each sari was tied just so. You think you put a lot of work into your graduation-day look? These girls had all hands on deck ensuring every pleat was in place:Someone decided it was OK for me to work on hair (ha), but luckily I didn’t ruin anything. Finally, all the girls were ready and headed over to the school building to meet up with the boys. After an hour of  parents watching anxiously and many congratulatory speeches, the graduates finally took to the stage, one by one, and received their high school diplomas: Finally graduated, the class stands for a photo with Dr. Abraham George, Mariam George, and Ajit George:Afterward, the graduates mingled with their families and had a special lunch, but then most had to pack; half of them started college this week! The goodbye was long and heart-wrenching, with more tears than smiles — but in the end, everyone knew the graduates were off to start the rest of their lives.

(Yes, their van is a converted ambulance. You wish you were this cool.)

 

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

STF in India: Prepping for Graduation

This past weekend was graduation weekend at Shanti Bhavan and in true Indian style, the celebration was almost a week long, including parties, competitions, and performances. It’s why we haven’t been blogging much!

The students were in charge of everything, and created roughly a million committees to ensure everything happened on time. Jancy directed the art for the stage, of course:

(As per usual, all photos by the magnanimous Kate Lord)

The sports competitions drew the whole school out (at 6:30 a.m., no less!) to watch the current students compete against SB alum. The cheers consisted of chants like, “East or West, SB is the best!” Which is technically true, because SB would win either way. The students really are crazy-talented at the sports they played. Here are some soccer shots:

That generous spirit may have ended when we got to tug of war, though. We all put on our game faces when it came time for us to play the graduates:

They also put on two nights of performances (remember that dance practice we posted about?), and everyone participated. Here’s Vyshali, one of the girls we sponsor (second from right), performing with her classmates:

And Prathibha, center:

And finally Jancy, performing the waltz with her partner Praveen:

At the end of the night, we had barbeque chicken and went to a party hosted by the school’s founder–where everyone would break into choreographed dance for every other song (not even joking). At the end of the night, before everyone headed to bed, we snagged this picture of the graduating girls; all will be the first in their families to graduate!

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

STF in India: Fun and Games (and Classes, too)

We knew today was going to be a good day when we found this hidden away in a desk:
As always, all photos are by the brilliant and affable Kate Lord.

Remember playing MASH as a kid? We both did it all the time, so I loved that they do, too. They also play the letter game — name a place (say, Nepal), and the next person has to name another place that begins with the last letter of the first place (so in this case, you could say ‘Liberia’ based on the L in Nepal). In their version of hide and seek, you make sure the person finding has to keep doing it by tapping him on the back and saying “tappa-tappa.” My favorite new game is a pinching game, though: You say “same pinch” and then name something similar between you and the person you’re pinching. Simple, ridiculous, and I should probably be discouraging it…but definitely my favorite.

We spent a lot of the day rehearsing our dances for graduation, since the volunteers are expected to honor the graduates with performances. Kate and I have five left feet between the two of us, but we’ve been having a blast making fools of ourselves so far.

Our dance may include some superman-ing.

Yeshwini, one of the STF girls, even taught me some Bollywood moves. I was predictably not that great, but as she says: “Everyone is a dancer. Just maybe you haven’t found your dance yet!”

And in between all the dancing and rehearsing and pinching games, there was even some learning happening today. I taught the graduating class how to write research papers. They were attentive, which made me feel like I was actually a teacher, instead of just pretending for a little while. (Grads, if you’re reading, that was a joke. I’m completely legit.)

Sometimes they even laughed at my jokes.

Next week, I’ll be teaching a four-day travel seminar for a few students who are traveling to Japan (including Yeshwini!). Has anyone been there? I’d love to get your tips!

And as always, leave have for us or the girls, and we’ll answer them soon!

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

STF in India: Sari Shopping with the Graduates!

Know what makes a graduation ceremony roughly 1,000 times better? When you get to wear a sari instead of a dorky set of Harry Potter robes. Each year, the founder of Shanti Bhavan Dr. George takes the graduating girls to get saris (with matching slippers and jewelry, of course), and we got to tag along this time.

That pile on the right was about a foot high and 6 feet wide by the time we were finished

A sari is a single strip of cloth, wrapped around the waist (into a petticoat, usually) and then draped over the shoulder. They’ve been worn for as long as history has chronicled fashion, which is…well, a long time. Once the girls picked out the saris they wanted to try on, the store attendant wrapped them up, while former SB grads, Doc George and the rest of the girls gave their opinion. Of course no one agreed on anything, but eventually they made their choices. I was absolutely no help, since I apparently have awful taste in saris (who knew?). Luckily, their other advisers were more helpful. Check it out; the colors alone are worth staring at for at least twenty minutes:

(photos by the talented and all-time best travel partner Kate Lord)

Jancy tries on a sari

The wrapping process? Not as effortless as it looks.

Maheshwari debates which she'll pick

Divya all done up!

My one and only accepted sari suggestion

Kate looks pretty fantastic in blue, right?


Graduation day will definitely be colorful!

And you guys–while I was writing this post, I heard this amazing music coming from downstairs in the school building. So I meander over, and Kumar, one of the graduates, was sitting at the piano, without sheet music, creating a song that literally stopped me in my tracks. It’s his own composition, which he’s been working on for (only!) a week. I know we spend most of our time here talking about the women, but these guys are going places, too. Here’s a bit of his music:

Beautiful, right?

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

STF in India: Our First Day at Shanti Bhavan!

We’ve finally made it to the Shanti Bhavan, and let me tell you: They’re not kidding when they say it means “haven of peace.” Mango grove? Got it. Flowers? Everywhere. Palm trees, paved walkways, puppies? Yep, they’ve got all that, too.

See?

Photo by Kate Lord

Jancy and Prathibha gave us a tour, and were pretty much awesome. Prathibha is a senior this year, while Jancy will be gradating in a few short days!

Photo by Kate Lord

This is the girls’ dormitory, where they both sleep:

Photo by Kate Lord

The main school building consists of two levels of classrooms around a main courtyard, where the kids have assemblies–and where they’ll be graduating later this week.

Photo by Kate Lord

Each grade gets their own classroom, where they stay for the majority of the day (except when they leave for music, art, or lunch!).

Photo by Kate Lord

There are fruits growing everywhere here. These gooseberries grow toward the front of campus, but aren’t ripe–which I learned from Prathibha only after I popped one in my mouth.

Photo by Kate Lord

Also not ripe: This starfruit, which Prathibha picked for me. She likes us though, I swear!

Photo by Kate Lord

On my list to try soon: jackfruit!

Photo by Kate Lord

And behind the teachers’ house where we’re staying, there’s a whole grove of mangoes!

Photo by Kate Lord

Today, all the kids are working hard on prepping for the graduation ceremony. They’ll be performing all kinds of dances, and they’re already looking pretty impressive. Kate and I? Our dance skills could use some serious help…so for now at least, we’re sticking on the sidelines!

Photo by Kate Lord

Tomorrow we’re tagging along on a sari-shopping trip for the graduating girls–stay tuned! (And for those of you leaving questions, we aren’t ignoring you; promise! We’re collecting them all and will answer them in a post soon.)

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

STF in India: Maheshwari at Home

We’ve only been in India for two days, but we’ve already experienced so much I feel like we’ve been here a week! After spending our first day in Bangalore running errands and grabbing a few gifts (Hey, Mom!), we woke up bright and early this morning to meet Maheshwari, a graduating senior at Shanti Bhavan. She brought us to her home, where we’d be spending the day getting to know her and her family.

Maheshwari outside her home (photo by Kate Lord)

 

I’m not going to give away too many details here, because Maheshwari is going to be starring in our upcoming documentary, but I will share a few behind-the-scenes tidbits with you–in photo form, of course!

We spent most of the day interviewing Maheshwari and her mom about their lives, and what it means for Maheshwari to be graduating from high school (she’s the first in her family to get any schooling at all!). Watching them interact was a lot of fun; they don’t get to spend much time together with Maheshwari away at school, but you can tell they have a great relationship:

a scene from our upcoming documentary!

 

It didn’t take long for them to start cooking for us on their wood-burning stove. All of the women worked together to prepare the meal, which would then go to feed everyone’s family within the compound (it’s full of Maheshwari’s paternal relatives, so everyone shares).

Maheshwari's mother prepares lunch (photo by Kate Lord)

 

Maheshwari's aunt prepares lunch (photo by Kate Lord)

 

But there was plenty to do while we waited…like play with bubbles:

And drink coconut milk, straight from the source:

And follow this hot pink chick the children had painted (yes, painted!):

a scene from our upcoming documentary!

 

When the food was ready though, it was worth the wait. I wish I could tell you what this is called (Update: It’s dahl!), but because it is late and my notes are elsewhere, you’ll just have to believe me when I tell you that it might have been the best meal of my life. The yellow bit on the side is home-made curry, and in traditional style, everything is served on a banana leaf. Maheshwari and her mom had to teach Kate and I how to eat ice with our hands–it’s harder than it looks!–but it was every bit as amazing as it looks:

lunch served by Maheshwari's mom (photo by Kate Lord)

 

At the end of the day, we packed up, said goodbye to Maheshwari’s family, and headed (finally!) to Shanti Bhavan. More on that to come soon!

Maheshwari and her mother outside their home (photo by Kate Lord)

 

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

She’s the First Finally Makes it to India!

Yesterday, as I was getting on the subway, a woman gave my over-stuffed hiking pack and canvas bag a once-over and asked, “Are you going on a hike?”

“No,” I told her. “I’m going to India.” Is there any better way to start a day than with a conversation like that?

About to take off! We had a lot more energy before 18+ hours on planes.

Kate and I made it here to Bangalore, India, after 29 (29!) hours on the road. It’s 3 a.m. and we’re about to crash, but we had to let everyone know: We made it! And we’re getting ready to start almost three weeks of filming, teaching, and hanging out with the awesome students at Shanti Bhavan. So before we get started, we’re asking you: What do you want to know about Shanti Bhavan? About India? Let us know, and we’ll get you the answers. Watch out for more blog posts to come soon — but for us, it’s time to pass out!

...kind of like I did in the Frankfurt airport yesterday.

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

We’re Making a Documentary Short about Shanti Bhavan!

Girls who are studying at Shanti Bhavan Children's Project

Kids who study at Shanti Bhavan Children's Project. We'll be filming there this June!

We previously announced that the beneficiary of our awesome annual concert, GIRLS WHO ROCK, will be Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project outside Bangalore, India! Proceeds from the concert will sponsor the college education of girls graduating from the program this summer — and in June, I’ll attend their graduation and shoot a documentary short about the event, the triumphs and obstacles that have lead to this point, and their futures at university. We’ll meet their families and travel to their new universities. Our Director of International Operations, Christen Brandt, will be traveling and producing the film with me, and we want to premiere it in New York City this fall – but we need your help!

Vote for my grant idea on GOOD maker to fund the New York City screening of the film – if we can make a big splash, we’ll increase the visibility for both She’s the First and Shanti Bhavan, and that means more sponsorships for girls!

Voting has already begun and goes through April 17! You can only vote once, but you can get your friends to vote, too! We really appreciate your support – and win or lose, the film and photographs will be valuable assets to both organizations.

Can’t wait to report back to all of you with details from our trip!

 

Posted in STF360 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Graduation Day, Francisca!

Francisca at school. Photo by Kate Lord.

If you’ve been following our blog for a while, you probably already know Francisca’s story. STF photographer Kate Lord and researcher Maisy Page met her when we travelled to Guatemala in January, and we each fell in love with her spirit the moment we met her. She’s the kind of girl you notice as soon as you walk into the room, because she has the biggest smile, the loudest laugh, and friendliest eyes there. Despite the language barrier (my Spanish would make Dora the Explorer cry), Francisca was willing to be fast friends, and learning her story remains one of the best parts of my Guatemala trip.

But today is a big day for her, because today is her graduation! She’s the first in her family to graduate high school, though things didn’t always look so certain: She had to drop out for a few years when her family needed her to work, and was only able to go back when the Starfish One by One program (our partner in Guatemala) learned about her and brought her into the program. And now? She’ll be one of their first graduates!

It’s stories like Francisca’s that keep all of us at She’s the First motivated, because she reminds us how much of a difference an education can make — hopefully, she’ll have the same effect on you. Here’s a video Kate made about Francisca (we’ve featured it here before) while she was still in school:

Isn’t it thrilling to know she achieved her goal of graduating, and is now on to university?

Have any words of encouragement or congratulations for Francisca? Write them in the comments, and we’ll make sure they get to her!

Posted in Starfish One by One | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

She’s the First*{Notre Dame} Goes Global!

Chapter Members Monica Townsend (2012), Lindsay Brown (2013), Maddie Fox (2013), Casey Kraft (2012)

Between Casey Kraft’s recent departure to volunteer in Peru and Monica Townsend’s return from Shanti Bhavan in India, our She’s the First*{Notre Dame} chapter has gone globe-trotting this summer!  Now, one more of their members joins our world traveling roster.  This week, Lindsay Brown, a sophomore at Notre Dame, arrived in Nepal to visit our partner school, the Kopila Valley Children’s Home.

As a member of the She’s the First*{Notre Dame}, Lindsay represented She’s the First at the Clinton Global Initiative University.  She is also one of the creators of the now iconic She’s the First tie-dyed cupcakes. As a national soccer champ, Lindsey and her Notre Dame teammates also sponsor three girls at Kopila Valley.  Lindsay is a star both on and off the field!

Make sure to check the Kopila Valley blog to see how Lindsay’s soccer team, “The Sagarmatha,” (Mt. Everest in Nepalese) does during her stay!

Posted in Kopila Valley Children's Home and School | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment