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By Maisy Page, August 26, 2010 12:49 pm

More often than not, my writing is inspired by an inability to sleep and some sort of great stirring in my soul (the two are often related). Tonight it’s been due to reflections upon my recent trip to Uganda. My first trip to Africa.  I had the amazing opportunity to spend four glorious days in and around Kampala. I took a boat to the source of the Nile River, walked among Vervet monkeys, saw where Ghandi’s ashes were scattered, made friends from Canada to Tanzania, and felt the hearts of the Ugandan people. I can only sum it up in the fact that the phrase I heard the most while I was there (other than Muzungu, meaning white person) was “you are most welcome.” Not only was this the phrase I most commonly heard, but the general feeling I had during my entire stay.

Throughout my days in Uganda I tried to learn as much as I possibly could, to soak it all in. I had so many questions and all of my questions were met with thoughtful answers from everyone I encountered. It seemed that I had “girl who wants to learn” written all over my forehead. Even when I wasn’t asking questions, the people surrounding me were trying to teach me as much as they could. They wanted to share their lives with me as much as I wanted to learn about them. One thing I learned about Ugandans is that just as much as I want to learn, so do they. In my travels I was hoping to be able to visit She’s the First partner school Arlington Academy of Hope. Unfortunately due to time and travel limitations I was not able to but once I returned home I watched AAH’s film “From One Village.” This film to me is very representational of what I witnessed in Uganda, some of the most hardworking people I’ve ever encountered that have some of the biggest hearts and smiles imaginable.

From One Village: A Story of Hope in Uganda

The story of Nabulo Rachel, featured at the end of From One Village, is where I tie my She’s the First journey to this story. Through She’s the First I have been able to witness the hearts of the amazing women that I am able to work with on a daily basis on this side of the world and the women that She’s the First is empowering all over the world. Nabulo Rachel is proof that the message we are spreading, the statistics that we bring to you, the possibilities we see in these young women, can be realized. Nabulo Rachel’s short story is this:

“Nabulo Rachel was one of the original children in the scholarship program that John and Joyce Wanda started in 1996. Rachel and her four siblings were raised by her mother, Sarah. Inspired by her mother’s determination to see her succeed, Rachel made the difficult decision to drop from P7 in a village school back to P5 at AAH the year it opened. She passionately wanted to avoid the common village fate of early marriage and motherhood and did not let the golden opportunity of AAH pass her by.

AAH nurtured Rachel into a vivacious and confident all-around student. She was a top academic performer in her graduating P7 class and one of the school’s lead singers. She received an AAH scholarship to continue her schooling and chose to attend Makerere High School – Migadde, a secondary boarding school near Kampala. She is currently in her third year of study. There, Rachel remains close to her AAH peers and joins them in the long hours of study hall and library time necessary to keep afloat in the demanding Ugandan secondary system and realize her dream of becoming a lawyer. When she returns to her home during term breaks she runs eagerly to engulf AAH staff members in tight hugs and is rarely seen without a wide smile on her face.”

With the continuation of our work through She’s the First and an increased awareness of the stories of more girls like Nabulo Rachel, we can help to increase the statistic of educated young women in Uganda. We can help give young women like Nabulo Rachel an opportunity and a voice. By doing this, she will then be able to go back to her community and share what she’s learned with other young women. Instead of continuing a cycle of poverty and lack of education, we can help young women to break that cycle and start a new cycle where they return to share their knowledge and better their community. When I look back at Uganda, among all of the poverty, I see smiles and hope. I see strength and opportunity. I see a place that has changed my life. So to you, Uganda, I say weebale, thank you.

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By Shreya Bhatt, July 27, 2010 4:25 pm

[Editor's Note: Our summer guest blogger who is volunteering at the Shanti Bhavan Children's School in India, Shreya Bhatt, updates us with a video. This school is co-ed, as you can see, but you can fundraise for sponsorships and request to support a girl!]

Last Thursday, Shanti Bhavan held its annual Field Day, where all students of grade two and up participated at various stations that tested their athletic skills.

The children were divided into the four Harry Potter houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin), and each student competed against each other, irrespective of grade. In essence, the spirit of cooperation and competition at Shanti Bhavan was unequivocally displayed on Field Day 2010. Take a peek!

[Editor's Note: This could be you volunteering with the kids next summer! Shanti Bhavan has a great volunteer program, and if you go, consider being a #STF360 travel journalist!]

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By Maisy Page, July 20, 2010 12:24 pm

Jessica Posner wins the jackpot $100,000! Woo hoo, it's like our team won the Super Bowl!

What is it that would cause me to almost scream out of joy and wake my entire house up at 10:59pm on a Monday night??? JESSICA POSNER WINNING THE DO SOMETHING AWARD! (since I couldn’t scream in my house I figured I would take advantage of the digital scream through caps lock)! This makes two years in a row that She’s the First partners have won the Do Something Award. Last year’s grand prize award recipient, Maggie Doyne, creator of the BlinkNow Foundation, was on hand for the evening’s festivities. Including, Ashley Shuyler of AfricAid, a 2007 Do Something Finalist, we now have 3 DoSomething Award honorees in our network! We are so proud of all of the work that they’re all doing towards furthering the education of girls worldwide. A big congrats goes out to Jessica! Live it up and enjoy the fruits of your labor! You deserve it!!!

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By Shreya Bhatt, July 18, 2010 9:19 am

[Editor's Note: We asked our summer guest blogger in India, Shreya, to tell us all a little bit more about how schools in the developing world use the arts for education. She responds with this visual post.]

Shanti Bhavan is not only an institution that emphasizes academic excellence, but also one that shapes the personalities and worldviews of the children form a young age. What the children do outside of the classroom is deemed just as important as how they perform within. What follows are visual posts on these developments that are non-academic in nature, especially through performing arts such as dance and music.

Alison Futura has been training the school choir

The 8th grade girls are learning how to play the cello from Summer Boggess, a professional Broadway musician

Sabala Baskar, a graduate student from Washington D.C., teaches dance to the 11th and 12th grade girls

[Editor's Note: Thanks, Shreya! Anyone else interested in volunteering at Shanti Bhavan now?! It's on our bucket list. ]

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By Tammy Tibbetts, July 10, 2010 5:15 pm

Shreya with Shanti Bhavan students on the playground in India.

Our guest blogger Shreya, volunteering at the Shanti Bhavan School (a She’s the First partner) in India, recently interviewed Lily, the 11th grade soccer star who told us about her family’s dire poverty. Now, the 11th grade girls have questions for you! Please answer one (or a few!) in the comments (noting the question number in your answer). Shreya will print the answers out for the girls to discuss. Keep in mind that some of these questions are a reflection of the circumstances the girls see every day in India: poverty, arranged marriage, discrimination by caste, abuse, etc. They want to know if this is the norm. Fortunately, it is not here in the US — so please tell them, and encourage them to dream, explore, discover, and change the world!

1. What is an average school day schedule like?
2. Do school children have uniforms?
3. How are boarding schools run?
4. Is there a caste system or any other basis of discrimination of people?
5. Is there any such thing as ‘child labor’?
6. What is the cheapest meal in the US?
7. Which is the cheapest city in the US?
8. What are some places worth visiting?
9. Can you get any product you want in the US?
10. What happens if a child gets beaten up?

More stories about life at Shanti Bhavan this summer can be read on Shreya’s own blog here.

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By Shreya Bhatt, July 6, 2010 8:07 am

by Shreya, She's the First guest blogger & a Shanti Bhavan School summer volunteer in India

On a balmy Thursday afternoon, I spoke with Grade 12′s Lily Mary Thomas, one of the school’s most coveted soccer players, about her family, life at Shanti Bhavan, and her ambitions for the future.  What she revealed to me was nothing short of emotional and inspirational.  Her story is a testament to the hope and positivity that Shanti Bhavan instills in all its children.

Lily, aged 16, is one of 4 children, born to impoverished parents in Maryapura, a village near Bangalore. Maryapura’s villagers, like many others in rural India, have been plagued by severe addiction to drugs and alcohol.  And like in several other villages across the country, nuns administer education, healthcare, sanitation, and other essentials in the village, dedicating their lives to improving living conditions in these regions.

It was one such nun who had suggested Lily as a potential candidate to Shanti Bhavan’s recruitment team when she was four years old.  “I was doing really well in the school run by the nuns,” she explains.

Here are some snippets of our conversation:

Shreya interviews Lily, a senior at the Shanti Bhavan School (which is always seeking co-sponsors!)

Tell me a little bit about your parents.

My parents sell alcohol in our village.  Earlier, they were farmers. My family used to live in a shack made of coconut leaves, and we used to grow vegetables on a small area of land that we owned.  But a fire destroyed our cattle and shack, and my parents couldn’t do anything to save them. The Congress (one of India’s major political parties) helped us and gave us a little amount of money, but it wasn’t enough to improve our situation. So my parents began selling alcohol to the villagers to make money. My mother also works on other people’s farms for Rs. 100 a day (roughly $2 a day).

What about your siblings? Are they in school?

My elder sister studied till 9^th grade, and then started working in a factory.  My brother failed his 12^th grade exams and is now working in the same factory. We didn’t have enough money to let him sit for the exams again.

What do you think your life would be like if you were not at Shanti Bhavan?

I would probably be washing vessels, and maybe going to a government school if I could afford it.

What do you enjoy most about being at Shanti Bhavan?

Being able to play sports, especially soccer. I love playing sports, and at home, I wouldn’t be allowed to do that.

What are some words your friends use to describe you?

They say I am friendly, and active.

What are your dreams for the future?

Ideally, I want to play soccer for India. But I wont be able to support my family if I depend on sports.  So realistically, I want to study biochemistry.  I am interested in learning how medicine works on people.

Are you nervous about what the future holds in store for you?

Not really, because I know that if I work hard, I will succeed.

******

Lily’s life story, and her positive outlook on life, is far from unusual at Shanti Bhavan. Hers is one of many inspirational journeys in which the children blaze through many obstacles to come out stronger, so they represent the best and brightest of tomorrow’s world.

[Editor's Note: To learn more details about Shreya's volunteer experience in India this summer, read her blog!]

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By Christen Brandt,

Starfish One by One pairs local Mayan mentors with girls to expand upon traditional education.

We’d like to officially welcome a new organization to our network of partners! Starfish One by One awards scholarships to Mayan girls living in rural parts of Guatemala; they’re one of the few organizations working directly with that population. Like She’s the First, Starfish One by One focuses heavily on girls’ education as a solution to poverty. And they share one of our favorite mottoes: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)

Girls in the Starfish program group together with 15 peers and one local mentor to extend their education beyond the classroom. The mentors teach the girls about reproductive education, personal finance, IT literacy, environmental stewardship, women’s rights and leadership. They also interfere on behalf of the girls whenever a dispute over education might occur. Imagine it this way: If a girl’s family wished to marry her off at 14 for the dowry money, or even the reduced financial burden, the mentor can step in and negotiate with the family to allow the girl to finish her education.We love their multi-layered efforts to ensure education for their girls!

But of course, early marriage isn’t the only factor preventing Mayan girls from receiving quality education. When Tropical Storm Agatha hit Guatemala in May, it caused widespread destruction. Some of the girls of Starfish One by One lost their homes and all of their possessions, while all the girls will be facing the food shortages and general lack of resources that will result from the storm. To combat these hardships, Starfish One by One is raising money to help ease the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agatha. You can see pictures and updates on their blog and if you’d like, donate to the cause though their Giving First page (just indicate that your donation is for the relief fund).

She’s the First is thrilled to partner with an organization so keen on ensuring girls’ education, and we know you love the cause, too! So check out Starfish One by One’s site, and see their listing in our directory. And if you’re inspired, you can help sponsor a Mayan girl’s mentorship!

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By Tammy Tibbetts, July 2, 2010 7:45 am

On June 6, our partner program in India, the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, celebrated its first graduation ever at its school! Shanti Bhavan’s mission is to fully develop the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children of India’s lowest caste — the untouchables or the “dalits”– to enable them to aspire to careers and professions of their choice — engineering, law, medicine, education, the arts — through world class education and globally shared values.

Ajit George, Director of Operations, sent us this photo from Graduation Day. You may remember us profiling some of the students, when we re-published their personal essays, and we also have guest blogger Shreya this summer, who is volunteering at Shanti Bhavan. She most recently told us what a day at the school is like here.

Want to be part of the pomp & circumstance? You can contribute toward a sponsorship at Shanti Bhavan, or even look into the options of traveling there to teach! CONGRATS to the students, their teachers, the Foundation staff and volunteers, and the sponsors who made this all-smiles photo possible!

The Shanti Bhavan Children's Project rescued these graduates from poverty and abuse when they were just four or five years old. They were all born into the untouchables (lowest) caste of India, but given the opportunity for the first-class education that they deserved, look at them now!

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By Shreya Bhatt, June 23, 2010 8:36 pm

Art class at Shanti Bhavan Children's Project. The most vulnerable children in India attend the school -- but you would never guess their past misfortune from their present day smiles!

Editor’s Note: Shreya is guest blogging for She’s the First this summer. She is volunteering at an official She’s the First partner school in India, the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, a school for the most vulnerable children in India. Although it’s summer vacation here in the US, school is in session!

The academic year has just begun here at Shanti Bhavan, and we are still recovering from the extravaganza that was the graduation ceremony for our first graduating batch!

As you can imagine, the first week got off to a slow start, but days are slowly becoming hectic.  The toddlers returned to the school on Sunday, June 13th, and the campus is once again reeling with the laughter and cries of the little ones.

In any case, here is what the daily schedule looks like during the semester:

6.30 – 7.30 am:           Grades 5-7: Morning Games, and Grades 8-12: Morning Prep

7.30 – 8.00 am:            Baths

8.00 – 8.20 am:            Breakfast

8.30 – 10.45 am:          Classes

10.45 – 11.00 am:        Morning Tea

11.05 – 11.20 am:        Assembly

11.20 – 12.50 pm:        Classes

12.50 – 1.20 pm:          Lunch

1.20 – 3.35 pm:            Classes

3.35 – 4.00 pm:            Afternoon Tea

4.00 – 5.00pm:             Grades 8-12 – Evening Games

4.00 – 5.30pm:             Grades 2-4 – Evening Games

4.00 – 5.45pm:             Grades 6-7 – Rest / Dormitory Chores

5.45 – 7.30 pm:            Grades 6-12 – Evening Prep

7.30 – 8.00 pm:            Dinner

8.00 – 9.00 pm:            Grade 6 Night Prep

8.00 – 9.30 pm:            Grades 7-12 Night Prep

9.30pm onwards:        Bedtime!

As you can see, the days are certainly packed to the brim with activities and classes, and as the teachers and students get into the routine of classes, life at Shanti Bhavan will soon become busy and exciting!

Stay tuned for the next few visual posts of the school and the neighboring village, as well as some interviews of our senior girls in Grades 11 and 12 about their dreams, aspirations, and life at Shanti Bhavan!

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By Shreya Bhatt, June 21, 2010 6:58 pm

Shreya, She's the First guest blogger -- spending her summer volunteering at the Shanti Bhavan school in India.

Editor’s Note: On the first day of summer, we introduce you to She’s the First’s summer guest blogger, Shreya Bhatt, who is volunteering at the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in India. Shanti Bhavan is an official She’s the First partner listed in our directory of sponsorship programs. You can help sponsor a girl there!

For the past year, alongside my full-time job on Wall Street, I have been volunteering for Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in New York.  Most of my work so far has involved corporate fundraising and strategic vision and mission-related projects for Shanti Bhavan.

Girls at Shanti Bhavan Children's Project who Shreya will be mentoring and interacting with throughout the summer!

This summer, however, I am going to be spending two months at the school teaching and interacting with the students, staff, volunteers, and the rest of the Shanti Bhavan family, one that I have come to call my own.

I am excited to blog about this experience and share some interesting photos, dialogues, and other fun stuff with you via She’s the First. Stay tuned for updates!