Tag Archives: South Sudan

Thailand’s First Female PM, South Sudan Set for Independence

Thailand elects first female prime minister
A big first happened in Thailand over the weekend: After a few years of unrest and unhappiness with the country’s military-backed government, the people of Thailand have elected their first ever female prime minister. Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the head of the Pheu Thai party, was elected on Sunday. She holds a Master’s Degree from Kentucky State University, and prior to becoming the Pheu Thai party’s leader, she worked for many years in marketing and business. Read more over at New York Mag.

Guardian lists worst countries for women
A recent Reuters survey revealed that Afghanistan is the worst country in the world for women to live, based on its high levels of targeted violence against female public officials and extreme poverty. Also within the top five, in descending order, were the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia, all which appeared on the list due to maternal mortality rates, sexual violence, and religious practices that are harmful to women. Here at STF, we truly believe this news and the dismal conditions in these countries are all the more reason to work toward increasing the quality of education for women—you can read more about the survey and the state of these countries in the Guardian.

South Sudan Set to Declare Independence July 9
On July 9, the Republic of South Sudan will declare itself an independent country, after a decades-long civil war. Get the quick facts from Reuters here, and check back this week for more in-depth coverage on the Aspire blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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She’s the First ecards are Here!

Purchase a She’s the First ecard, inspired by our first ever Poetry Campaign, and help sponsor a year of a girl’s education at Project Education Sudan.

We have been tweeting, posting, and spreading poetry all month long, and now it is time to make an even bigger impact. Now introducing the She’s the First original ecards featuring the girls of the Kopila Valley Children’s Home in Nepal and the Shanti Bhavan school in India, designed by the talented Genevieve Tabios!

Ecards are $4 and all proceeds go towards sending a lucky girl in Sudan to primary school!

Purchase one. Purchase three! Send love with a purpose tied to it. Order here!

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Project Education Sudan & The World’s Newest Country

Project Education Sudan, also known as the “little NGO that could,” is doing remarkable work in Southern Sudan. This Colorado Public Television special gives a rare, first-hand look into the work PES is doing to not only help the people of this region get an education, but begin to grow as an independent country.

In January of this year the region held a referendum that confirmed the South will become a nation of its own, starting on July 9. This historic event brings new hope for the people of South Sudan and PES is working diligently at their side every step of the way.

Take a few moments to watch, it will inspire you!

Watch the full episode. See more Studio 12.

[Editor's Note: If you're short on time, take a look around 7:00. They discuss girls' ed at Project Education Sudan's all-girls school, Ayak Anguei!]

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She’s the First Poetry Month Aims to Sponsor a Girl in Sudan

In the U.S., April is National Poetry Month, started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Their goal: “To increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture.” This year, She’s the First wanted to be the first to make this occasion an international experience. Our goal: Sponsor a girl in Sudan, and connect young women worldwide in the process.

Hannah Brencher: She's the First Poetry Emcee, hannah@shesthefirst.org

It all started when Cynthia Hellen, STF Board Member & GIRLS WHO ROCK co-founder urged us to enter the 2011 Heart and Soul Grant Award Program — all we had to do was enter an 8-line poem expressing our mission. The prize: $10,000 for our cause, which we’d use to sponsor girls in our Directory. We enlisted one of the most talented writers on our team, Researcher/Blogger Hannah Brencher (hannahkaty.com), to compose our entry. These are two of her verses that moved us:

Because of someone I have never met
I now have the chance
To read and write my life out loud
And teach my dreams to dance

This is my chance to go to school
My chance to help and fix what’s broken
My chance to be the first of many girls
to make her voice outspoken

After reading this, we thought, why not make poetry a campaign to connect cultures across our network and sponsor a girl? The She’s the First #STFPoem Campaign was born. We’ve asked Hannah to “emcee” the campaign, blogging through the month for shesthefirst.org and rallying the social media and blogging community to join us.

Here’s the game plan:

Week of April 4: Publish poetry from the She’s the First “global girls” — from our partner programs in the Directory — as well as by our Emcee Hannah, along with favorite pieces by the great poets that inspire our work for girls worldwide. (Submit yours!)

Week of April 11th: Compose a unique poem through Tweets! More details to come, but make sure you’re following @shesthefirst for announcements, and use hash tag #stfpoetry.

April 19: A workshop in a Brooklyn high school, led by Oprah-approved poet Azure Antoinette. (We found each other on Twitter!) More exciting details to come!

April 20-April 30: The creation & sale of poetry e-cards to commemorate spring holidays (Easter, Passover, Administrative Professionals Day…) which we’ll design with verses collected through this month of poetry with our girls and supporters worldwide. The e-cards will be sold on shesthefirst.org for $4 each via PayPal, and our goal is to sponsor a year of education for a girl in Sudan, which is $365. If we sell 100 e-cards, we can do it!

So, are you in? Express yourself and educate!

Posted in Founder's Updates, Voice Your Verse | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Welcome to the Network, Project Education Sudan!


Did you know that only 10% of girls in Southern Sudan, ages 7-14, attend school? That rate is the lowest in the world and one that Project Education Sudan, She’s the First newest partner, is working to change. This fantastic organization is doing amazing things in Southern Sudan, where they support indigenous organizations that make primary, secondary and adult education available for all, especially girls and women.

This organization’s roots date back to the devastating twenty-year civil war between Northern and Southern Sudan when communities, hospitals, and families were destroyed. Thousands were forced to flee to refugee camps in neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya, including “Lost Boy” Isaac Khor Bher. Isaac later migrated to the United States, where he met Carol Rinehart. The two formed a lifechanging friendship and traveled back to Sudan to reunite Isaac with his family in 2005. Upon arriving, Carol and Isaac witnessed the wide-spread destruction left by the civil war. Not only was the region in dire need of clean water wells, electricity, and health care, but the villagers were also desperate for an education. From that point on Carol and Isaac made it their mission to help communities and schools rebuild and Project Education Sudan was born.

Almost six years later and PES has not only built the only all girls school in the region, Ayak Anguei Primary School, where you can sponsor a girl through She’s the First, but they’re also providing young girls and women with the opportunity to be the first female in their family to get an education. PES has implemented women’s adult education programs as well as training for teachers on how to become better educators.

The work of Project Education Sudan is guided by this powerful quote from a Sudanese children’s song: “I am the leader of tomorrow. I am the leader of my people. Tomorrow is my time.” Join us as we build a better future with our newest partner!

For those of you with access to Colorado Public Television (PBS) be sure to tune in on Wednesday, March 30th at 8 pm MST to watch a powerful documentary on PES and what they’re doing to help the people of South Sudan!

[Editor's Note: You can learn more and sponsor a girl at Project Education Sudan here.]

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'Education is a Must': She's the First Meets Alek Wek

Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, who you’ve seen on the pages of every major women’s magazine and walking down the runways of the world, is about style AND substance. As a refugee who grew up in poverty, she is a global advocate who has worked with Doctors Without Borders, World Vision, and UNICEF.

At the UN Week Digital Media Lounge co-hosted by the UN Foundation, Mashable, and the 92Y, Alek spoke with She’s the First Ambassador Kaitlin Davis about why education for girls worldwide is a paramount issue of our time.

If you like this video clip that we shared with our Facebook friends, be sure to read our post about Somalian top model Waris Dirie, who was first to speak publicly about female genital mutilation, and is the subject of the upcoming film Desert Flower. Waris and Alek know the power of  a story, and we are inspired that they’ve chosen to share theirs with the world to push for change.

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