Educating girls could change the world (Diversity event)

I attended the documentary and discussion called Girl Rising last Thursday.  It was all about girls education around the world especially in countries where girls education is not encouraged, but did you know that educating girls yields the highest return on investment in developing countries.

The documentary told the stories of eight girls from various countries around the world and their journey/struggle to getting an education.  Between stories the documentary gave different statistics including 66 million girls are out of school across the world.  That is a huge number!

All of the girls had great stories.  The one that I found the most memorable was that of Suma from Nepal.  Suma was a Kumlari or a bonded laborer starting at just six years old.  Being a Kumlari allowed her to have food and housing that her parents could not provide.  Suma's first two masters made her work hard and did not treat her well.  At 11 years old she was bonded to her third master.  At his home there was a lodger who was a school teacher.  He convinced Suma's master to enroll her into a night class specialized for people like her.  They not only learned from the teacher's, but they told the teacher's about being a Kumlari and learned that it was a form of slavery.  It was also illegal.

The teachers were very courageous and would go to the homes of the masters and demand they let the girls go because it is illegal.  The teachers would return every day until the master agreed to let the girl go.  That is how Suma became free from being a Kumlari.  She, and other past Kumlari's, go around to homes where they know a Kumlari is being kept and sing/tell the masters that it is illegal and they know.

This was a very interesting documentary and I am very glad I went to watch it.