Do you ever hear the word Pakistan and feel a wobble in your brain - like a bunch of little synapses firing at one another trying to decide what to produce for you to think about? Well, maybe it's just me.
The media recently has mostly focused on the tensions between the US and Pakistan or the devastation of the floods that have devastated an already vulnerable nation. But is that really all there is to Pakistan? Is that all we can have on our radar when we hear the name of this colorful, mountainous, linguistically rich nation? What other images can we conjure? What faces can we see? What landscape can we admire?
On a recent trip to Pakistan, climber Kelly Cordes left the mountains after discovering his shoulder wouldn't serve him on his ambitious endeavor. He headed into the country to live it, feel it, breathe it and share it. Take a moment to explore his words and share his experience through his blog by clicking here. His insights share what we will never really come to know until we, too, touch our feet to the earth in Pakistan.
We have to remember - amid the disaster, the conflicts and the poverty ... there is hope. There are young girls and boys who dream big and their dreams start with education. "When we get education, we can spread the light and do away with the widespread ignorance in our society," declared Kashif Shah, a Grade 3 student.
The children can't wait for peace. The girls can't wait for greater equality. Their time is now. They are young and it is a fundamental human right to have access to education:
Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations:
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
Please, join us in Boulder, Colorado on October 12th as we screen a fabulous documentary, A Small Act and host a silent auction to raise funds for girls education in Pakistan. We want you, but the girls need you.
Shukriya
Thank You,
Girls Education International
http://www.girlsed.org/
