Monday, April 23, 2012

Educate A Girl - See a film, make a difference

What: "To Educate A Girl" film viewing
When: Monday 4/30
           6:30pm arrive for light refreshments
           6:45pm film start
Where: Eloise's place (2111 Morley Dr)
Who: RESULTS Austin and you
Why: See the power of education & take action to make a difference

ABOUT THE FILM
A 70 minute - See the trailer here: "To Educate a Girl

In 2000, 110 million children in the world were not in school—two thirds of them were girls. In 2010, filmmakers Frederick Rendina and Oren Rudavsky traveled to Nepal and Uganda, two countries emerging from conflict and struggling with poverty, to find the answer to one question: What does it take to educate a girl? Framed by the United Nations global initiative to provide equal access to education for girls by 2015, To Educate a Girl takes a ground-up and visually stunning view of that effort through the eyes of girls out of school, starting school or fighting against the odds to stay in school.
In Nepal, Manisha, a teenager who works in the fields while her three younger sisters go to school, is contrasted by three young listeners of a hugely popular youth-oriented radio program. We learn how the program has helped them deal with issues of early marriage and poverty in order to stay in school.
In Uganda, we meet Mercy, the six-year-old daughter of an impoverished single mother who is about to embark on her first day of school, and Sarah, a teenage war orphan who is haunted by a tragic past but still managing
to study.

From volunteers going door to door in southern Nepal to a “back to school” march that brings an entire community together in northern Uganda, a stirring picture of grassroots efforts to help girls get a decent education is brought to light. To Educate a Girl is a compelling look at the lives of young women who are striving to achieve their dreams in the face of conflict, poverty and
gender bias.
 
To Educate a Girl first screened at the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative conference in Dakar, Senegal, in May 2010, and had its World Premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 11, 2010. Other festival screenings include: UNAFF (United Nations Association International Film Festival) on UN Day; Unspoken Human Rights Film Festival; Third Goal International Film Festival; and the Festival International du Film de Boulogne-Billancourt where it will be presented by the Cinéma Vérité Institute. It has also screened at many colleges and universities, including Columbia University's Teachers College on International Women's Day.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Ask Your Rep. to Cosponsor the Education for All Act

There is no single development intervention that can so radically and comprehensively change the trajectory of a child’s life - and future generations - as education.* But children, especially, girls aren’t getting to school and learning. While the U.S. has provided important global leadership to help open classroom doors for children around the world, there are still 67 million primary school-aged children not in school, the majority of whom are girls. The world has made steady progress towards universal education since 2000, but unless more effective policies are implemented and there is greater international support, 72 million children may still be out of school by 2015 — more than in 2008. Millions more will receive a low-quality education and not be able to read, write, and count.

Please ask your representative to cosponsor the bipartisan Education for All Act, which was introduced by Reps. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and David Reichert (R-WA). The bill calls on the U.S. to improve its global education policies to ensure all children receive a quality basic education and to support a Global Partnership for Education to achieve this goal. Call and write your representative to cosponsor the Education for All Act of 2011.

* Click for more powerful facts: http://www.results.org/issues/global_poverty_campaigns/education_for_all/efa_the_facts/