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Girl Rising

Little girls in this country watch t.v., have play dates, take swimming, violin or tennis classes. They sometimes don't feel like going to school and are picky about what they eat. They sleep in a warm, cozy bed surrounded by their favorite dolls and toys. In another part of the world, there are little girls who can't go to school and instead work from 3 a.m. to 11 p.m. washing pots, doing other household chores, and who are lucky enough to eat scraps of food and have a dry ground to sleep on.

Have you seen Girl Rising? I watched the trailer yesterday  and heard excerpts from the book. Tears welled up my eyes. This inspirational film is a must see.  Immediately, the MZ Wallace bag I have been eyeing on seemed irrelevant. I was embarrassed of my Amazon "wish list." We live in a materialistic world and desire more each day while in certain parts of the world $5 is a fortune! We live in a free country, we are free of masters, have the ability to receive free education and the power to achieve our dreams. So blessed are we.

I had the honor of meeting Shabana Basij-Rasikh, an Ambassador for Girl Rising and one of CNN's International Women of the Year. Shabana shared stories about how she used to attend a secret school disguised as a boy with her sister when Afghanistan was under Taliban rule and how each day her sister and her used to take different paths to school so that they could avoid the Taliban. This young, fearless and successful leader is the founder of SOLA - School of Leadership Afghanistan, enabling young Afghans to further their studies abroad and secure jobs back home.

Such an inspiration!  More power to girls all over the world! Click on the links to learn more and do grab a copy of the book and see the movie. God bless you all.


It was a day of self-reflection and appreciation for all that we have been blessed with and have taken for granted.

Peace and Love,
Jyoti



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