Girl Rising is a group of middle school students who believe that change toward gender equality must begin with education. Once a girl is educated, she can say no to child marriage, say no to being held back, and say yes to her dreams.
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The Reality
65 million girls in underdeveloped countries are not in school. It may be too dangerous or too expensive, or against tradition, or they may have to work instead. In a world where freedom hinges on literacy, these girls have all of their basic human rights taken away. |
Our Change
We are raising funds for scholarships so that these girls can be in a classroom. We also want more people to understand the game-changing potential of girls' education. The Rhoades School Girl Rising Club plans bake sales, speaker events, online fundraisers, and our yearly bazaar to further our mission. |
The Girl Rising Club sponsors girls' education through several organizations including: She's the First, Save the Children, Casa de Amistad, CAMFED, Plan International, Speak Up for the Poor, and Children International. Our sponsorships provide tuition, housing, uniforms, books, health care and mentoring. These girls will be the first women in their families to receive a full education.
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Meet Sonia from Guatemala. Sonia is thirteen and lives with her mom, dad and two siblings. She likes singing and drawing. Sonia's favorite subject in school is English and she would like to be a teacher one day. Sonia lives in a two bedroom, concrete block house with an outdoor fireplace and latrine. Girl Rising sponsors Sonia's education through Children International.
Meet Akon from South Sudan! Akon was the first student we sponsored with She's the First. Akon graduated from high school and is continuing her education. She wants to be a doctor to help needy people especially pregnant women.
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Meet Ruth at the Sacred Valley Project in Peru! She is from Parcco, where she lives with her mother Zaida, her father Romulo, and her younger brother. Ruth is in her first year of high school. She currently lives in a dorm, and she is having a lot of fun! When Ruth is at school, she loves to study communications. In her free time, she likes to play soccer and volleyball! Of her ultimate dream, Ruth says: "I want to be a professional, and I will do my best to achieve my goal.” Ruth and the She’s the First Scholars at Sacred Valley Project are looking forward to the completion of a new dorm and education center. Sacred Valley Project has also started their Open Doors Initiative which expands programming to non-boarding, indigenous young women who will receive academic support. We sponsor Ruth through She's the First.
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Meet Stellah from South Sudan. She is in the 9th grade at Greenbelt Academy Secondary School. She says her school has strong and supportive teachers. Stellah is proud of her improvement in school and she is working hard to keep up her good grades.
Stellah recently wrote to us about the representation of women in her community. She wrote, "Mostly in Bor, women need to be recognized in the communities because men don’t understand what women are saying. Their voices of concern and support need to be considered so they do not consider women as weak. Nowadays we need to treat people equally because women are also educated and they don’t fear to express themselves in front of everyone. Not only that but also at the community level and in national government level, the voice of women should not be oppressed by male leaders."
Stellah recently wrote to us about the representation of women in her community. She wrote, "Mostly in Bor, women need to be recognized in the communities because men don’t understand what women are saying. Their voices of concern and support need to be considered so they do not consider women as weak. Nowadays we need to treat people equally because women are also educated and they don’t fear to express themselves in front of everyone. Not only that but also at the community level and in national government level, the voice of women should not be oppressed by male leaders."
Meet Angela from the Philippines. Angela is 10 years old. She speaks Tagalog and is in elementary school. Angela wants to be a chef when she grows up. Angela lives near Manila, the capital. Girl Rising sponsors Angela's education through Save the Children.
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Meet Shimu and Fatema. Both Shimu and Fatema live in the same village, called Baduria in Bangladesh. Fatema is in 6th grade, and her dream is to be a teacher. Shimu is in 7th grade, and her dream is to be a police officer. Girl Rising supports Speak Up for the Poor in Bangladesh. Their Girls' Education Program empowers girls by keeping them in school. By providing an education to poor girls, we can break the cycle of poverty and child marriage and get girls onto the path to success. Working with families and communities, we can build a new understanding of the potential for educated girls, and help transform the way entire regions think about poor girls. We believe that educating and empowering girls in poverty is the best investment anyone can make to fight injustice and poverty.
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Girl Rising sponsors two students at Casa de Amistad, an after school tutoring program for students in Solana Beach and Encinitas. Rhoades middle school students volunteer once a month at Casa in the Technology Club. Casa de Amistad is dedicated to fostering the education and character development of underserved children, teens and their families.
