Join us for Film, Auction and Action - a Girls Ed Fundraiser!

Join us now.  Join us on October 12th to celebrate your potential to impact great change.  Join us to see how even the smallest gesture can change the life of one human being ... which can, and will, change the lives of many! 

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/

50% fund matching starts now!

Girls Education International is one of only eight organizations to be
selected by GlobalGiving to be part of their Safer World Fund Campaign this
month! The Safer World Fund will provide a 50% match of any donation up to
$2000, per donation, made to our Pakistan project beginning on Sunday, September 11 until they reach the maximum match of $15,000 per organizatioon or until their $50,000 runs out.

LET'S PUT THIS PROJECT OVER THE TOP AND FUND IT THROUGH 2012!

YOU MUST MAKE DONATIONS ON THE GLOBAL GIVING SITE LISTED BELOW TO QUALIFY FOR MATCHING FUNDS!

If you would like to help keep our girls in school in Pakistan please spread the word and CLICK ON THE GIVE NOW link below to donate.
Thank you!!! The Girls Ed Team


http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/send-30-girls-in-pakistan-to-school/

A Man with a Vision Educates a Village

Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you. ~Mother Teresa

This quote underlies the actions of Mr. Ghulam Murtaza of Pakistan, who decided to reach out and make a difference for his village. Mr. Murtaza lived in Lahore for 20 years, working in the health care sector. When he returned to his village after retirement, he was struck by the challenges his people faced. He decided to continue working at a grassroots level to improve the lives of those in his immediate community.


Initially, Mr. Murtaza set out to alleviate the workload of the women in his village who had to walk for miles to retrieve water on a daily basis. Given the distance and terrain of this journey, this essential task would only come to wear the women down. Mr. Murtaza envisioned a solution and ultimately realized his goal with the completion of the community’s first well. Can you imagine the relief – physical, mental and emotional – for the women of this village!


After this project, Mr. Murtaza pioneered for girls’ education. He was aware of the positive impact of education on families and the community at large. He sought assistance from GEI’s local NGO partner, Bedari who contacted us about initiating a scholarship program for girls in this region. Once the funding was secured, Bedari relied upon Mr. Murtaza to identify the girls that could benefit from this opportunity. Initially, the idea of the girls going to school wasn’t received well. Girls at home are a valuable asset to the families – they work in the fields and help their mothers around the house. However, when Mr. Murtaza presented the educational opportunities as scholarships for only the brightest and most successful primary school children, the villagers saw this as an honor and a privilege. They soon had 21 girls enrolled in the program.

DC-area Climber Organizations to Host The MAD Tour, a fund-raiser for Girls Ed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DC-area Climber Organizations to Host The MAD Tour, a fund-raiser for Girls Education International, May 25

The Mountaineering Section of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC/MS) and the American Alpine Club's Blue Ridge Section (AAC/BRS) are hosting a night of The MAD Tour, a fund-raiser for Girls Education International. The tour includes a multi-media presentation by Madaleine Sorkin that includes her various big wall, free climbing adventures and will be held at the DC Public Library, May 25.

"Our climbing clubs are always looking for talented rock climbers to give slide shoes that inspire our members in their climbing adventures," stated Jeanette Helfrich, a past chairperson of both of the sponsoring organizations. "We were immediately impressed with Madaleine’s very hard free rock climbs in Yosemite Valley and in Canada.”

According to Helfrich, the DC area has a rich history of women rock climbers who have been active and recognized as leaders in the Mountaineering Section of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club since 1944, such as rock climbing legend Jan Con. "The fact that Madaleine is also from the DC area is an additional bonus," Helfrich said. "She will certainly motivate the many women traditional climbers here.”

The PATC/AAC has reserved a room at the West End branch of the DC Public Library, 1101 24th St. N.W. Washington, DC 20037 westendlibrary@dc.gov. The show will be held on Wednesday, May 25 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The show will start at 7:00 p.m. This is a good central location in a good part of downtown DC. A raffle and live auction will follow at a TBD venue (probably a bar) in DC. Proceeds from the raffle/auction will support Girls Education International. Sponsors for the event include: Evolv, Kelty, Rab, Stonewear Designs, and Maxim ropes.

Please visit The MAD Tour site for more information on Madaleine, her climbing, and the tour. You can also contact Lizzy Scully at lizzy @ lizzyscully.com, or call her at 303-647-3440

Zofishan - Delighted to Attend School

Our partner in Pakistan, Bedari is an NGO dedicated to the protection and promotion of women's and girls' human rights through community-driven empowerment programs.  Through our partnership, Girls Education International and Bedari are able to support 30 girls as they beat the odds to attend school and get the education they desire. 

Here is the story of one of our students named Zofishan.  Read about the obstacles she faced before Bedari selected her for the scholarship program.  Her smile comes through in her words as she writes about the opportunity to go to school.

My name is Zofishan and I am studying in 6th grade. I live in a small and beautiful village Laphi [in district Chakwal, Pakistan]. I have 5 brothers and one sister. All my brothers are studying in various grades. However, my eldest sister Fatima is not going to school. I, too, was not going to school for three years before I rejoined my school with support from Bedari.

I had studied up to grade 5 in our village school. But we do not have a secondary school in our village, and the nearest secondary school is 14 kilometers away from our home. We could not afford to pay the huge amount of fare charged by the only local van available.

It was such a sad time of my life. I had to stay at home, and help my mother in household chores, or would go out with my mother to the jungle to collect wood for selling it in the local market. My father has a small herd of cattle. He takes them to jungle for grazing and spends almost the whole day there. The time was passing and I was losing hope of joining my school again. I would borrow my elder brother’s books, and study them. My brother is very loving. He would teach me as much as possible.

Anyhow, one day a volunteer from Bedari came to our village and talked to the village elders for identifying girls who wanted to study up to secondary level. When I heard that, I asked my brother to meet the Bedari volunteer and get my name registered for the scholarship. I was very excited and prayed all the time for getting selected. I heard from my brother that there were 21 girls registered for scholarships. I just did not know how many they were going to select, nor did I know how I could ensure my selection except praying to God.

And finally the good news came. I came to know that all the 21 girls were given scholarship including myself. Ohh… I was flying high…may be on cloud 9 or what do they say… Bedari has arranged a special van for us 21 girls. This van picks us up from our village in the morning and drops us back in the evening. I have 20 friends in the van and a hundred more girls in my school. I am really happy to be in school again. I love my school. I meet so many other girls, I have so many good teachers who guide us and above all – only in my school, I can play cricket with other girls. I really love my life.

Welcome Steve Murchie to the Girls Education International Board of Directors!

Girls Education International is excited to officially announce our newest board member, Steve Murchie. Steve is an entrepreneur and investor, primarily working in the software and cleantech sectors. He holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has more than 25 years of experience in the software industry, starting as a programmer/analyst and progressing through a variety of roles in sales, marketing, and general management.

In the past several years, Steve has become active in the social sector, stemming from his membership in Social Venture Partners – Denver. In that capacity, he consulted with local non-profit organizations to improve their sustainability, which afforded him the opportunity to become involved in a variety of mission-driven organizations and causes, especially those just getting off the ground.

Initially, Steve was involved with Girls Ed as part of an informal focus group and then he was later invited to guide Girls Ed through some early growing pains in an advisory role. Following this advisory period, Steve moved out of the US temporarily, but as soon as he returned, we were delighted to extend the invitation to Steve to join our Board of Directors in full service.

Steve is a strong believer in the power of education, and the transformative nature of education for girls and young women in the developing world. And he's clearly an adventurer, too.  Naturally, he is a wonderful addition to the GEI team! Join us welcoming him on board!

GlobalGiving Matching Funds Opportunity for Girls Ed on Wednesday, March 16th!

Girls Education International has an amazing opportunity to raise a lot of money for our Liberia scholarship program!  If you have always wished you could make a bigger donation to support a girl's education, now is the time!

On Wednesday, March 16, GlobalGiving is matching at 30% all online donations up to $1,000 per donor per project! $75,000 in matching funds is available. We want Girls Ed to win some of those funds!

In addition to the 30% match, GlobalGiving is offering a $1,000 bonus to the project that raises the most funds on Wednesday and a $1,000 bonus to the project that receives donations from the most individual donors!

Donate Now (www.globalgiving.org/6852) to Girls Ed and help us support our 47 middle and high school girls in Liberia!

Other big ways to help in this challenge:

• Call or email at least five friends and ask them to donate.
• Post a link to our project page on your Facebook page asking your friends to donate.

  5 ACTION ITEMS FOR ON-GOING SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT

1. Go to www.girleffect.org to watch a short video about why it is critical to educate girls.
2. Educate yourself by reading a book about the importance of educating girls, such as Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn (www.halftheskymovement.org)
3. Go to The United Nations Girls Education Initiative (www.ungei.org) or read about the United Nations Millenium Development Goals to Eradicate Poverty (www.un.org/millenniumgoals) to learn what the United Nations is doing to promote universal education in the developing world as a means to eradicate poverty. 
4. Join the CARE Action Network to speak out to policy makers about poverty and injustice (www.care.org). Talk about the importance of educating girls with your representatives, your teen-agers, your partner, your family, at your work place, and with your faith community. Start the conversation about the issue at the grass roots level.
5. Support documentary filmmakers who tell important stories of the impact of educational opportunity throughout the world. Buy the DVD and host screening parties to raise funds and awareness. Film suggestions include: A Small Act (www.asmallact.com) and The First Grader (www.thefirstgrader-themovie.com).

A Girl's Education, The World's Next Best Resource

Thank you for your continued support!

Our Girls Ed Liberia Project is Live on Global Giving!

Girls Education International has been supporting girls in Liberia, West Africa since 2008.  As of this week, we are excited to announce that our program has the chance for additional support through a live spot on GlobalGiving.org. 

The support from everyone who contributed to our Open Challenge in September is still having a huge impact.  With GlobalGiving.org we can continue to promote our Pakistan program and also bring focus to the 50 girls we support in Liberia.  Please check out our page at GlobalGiving.org and consider making a charitable donation for the holidays and into the new year.  There's no time like the end of the year to give big. 

In May 2011, GEI co-founder Lizzy Scully and Social Media coordinator Rai Farrelly are planning to make a (self-funded) trip to Liberia to attend the girls' graduation ceremony with our partner organization, The Common Ground Society.  We plan to bring you stories, videos and messages from the girls in our program, as well as a glimpse into the importance of your support. 

Thanks for all you've done so far.  Please continue to spread the word and help us keep the momentum going for both programs.



A group of the school girls supported by Girls Education International and the Common Ground Society in Liberia.

 Our Liberia Girls Education Program

GEI has provided 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Bong and Margibi counties, Liberia, with education scholarships since 2008. This basic scholarship program costs $5,000(US) each year. GEI has just finished our second year funding these scholarships, and despite the fact that many of our girls don’t get to eat every day, all of them maintained a C+ or better average and are on track for graduation. Our first ten girls will graduate from high school at the end of the 2010-2011 school year.


For the 2010-2011 school year, tuition costs are increasing and GEI will also need to provide additional funds to pay for all 47 girls to take national exams. GEI is working with the Liberian non-governmental organization Common Ground Society (CGS) and its program director Emily Sherman-Davis. Emily and her husband, Marvin Garbeh Davis founded CGS in 2003 to support peace education for the children of war-torn Liberia. The 1999-2003 Liberian civil war killed more than 250,000 Liberians and displaced hundreds of thousands of others. Subsequently, thousands of children lost the opportunity to get an education.


The Big Issues

Three quarters of females in Liberia are illiterate (compared to only 38% of males) and only 58% of girls are enrolled in primary school. Poverty in Liberia is rampant – one half of Liberians live in abject poverty and the unemployment rate is 85%. Poverty is even higher in the rural areas where GEI provides scholarships. The 47 girls who currently participate in the GEI-CGS scholarship Program are from the most disadvantaged families in the country and some even live alone and are self supported.


The Future of Our Liberia Program

GEI is making this a long-term project, and plans to add new girls to the scholarship program when current girls graduate. We also hope to expand the program to eventually include 100 girls, and to offer all our girls an after-school reproductive health education class, a library of school-related materials, a weekend tutoring program, and additional stipends to cover the costs of uniforms, meals, textbooks, and other needs. Even with scholarship help from GEI, the cost of uniforms, schoolbooks and ID cards is still a significant financial drain on the girls and their families. The addition of a reproductive health education program and stipends to pay all the girls' educational needs will cost an additional $25,000 per year.

Please read more and see additional pictures at our GlobalGiving.org page.

Welcome Mary Ann Williamson to the Board

As we round the bend in 2010, Girls Education International continues to grow strong.  GEI is proud to introduce our newest board member, Mary Ann Williamson, who joined our board in October.

Mary Ann Williamson comes to GEI with a background in communications, having worked as both a freelance and staff writer/producer in the corporate video field, as an adjunct professor of Technical Communications at Metropolitan State College of Denver, and as the Community Marketing Coordinator for the Boulder International Film Festival. She served on the board of directors, and later as president of the International Television Association. Currently, Mary Ann is at work on an independent film about the evacuees of the recent Fourmile Canyon fire.

Mary Ann earned her BS in Mass Communications from Illinois State University, and graduated cum laude from the Applied Communications Master’s degree program at the University of Denver.

While spending time with her family is her priority, Mary Ann also likes to run, hike, ski, and bike in the outdoors, then sit in darkened movie theaters to see as many independent films as possible.

Welcome, Mary Ann!  Girls Education Internation is very happy to have you 'on board'!

Global Giving Open Challenge Results

We raised $7,095 from 99 unique donors!!! 

Since we reached (and far exceeded) the minimum fundraising goal of $4000 from 50 unique donors, we have secured a permanent spot on the GlobalGiving website.  This is great news for us as it allows us to connect with many new donors and corporate sponsors who may otherwise not have heard about us.  If a donor knows he or she wishes to support girls education, a quick search will turn up many possible organizations, of which Girls Education International is one.  If a donor specifically wants to support girls in Pakistan or Liberia, it won't be long before they are looking at our page and then browsing our website!  This is wonderful news for us as we move forward with our girls education programming. 

Huge THANKS to everyone who supported us in this challenge by spreading the word and/or donating to our cause.

As we gain recognition and support, we will also grow.  Girls Education International is planning to discuss our strategic plan at our upcoming October board meeting.  We are considering expanding our impact into additional developing countries where girls continue to represent a very small percentage of the student body.  Stay tuned for updates!

Leaving the Fields to Follow Her Dream - Riffat's Story

In Pakistan, Girls Education International (GEI) partners with a local NGO, Bedari, founded by Dr. Fozia Saeed - a woman who has committed herself to improving the lives of women and girls in Pakistan.  Bedari has grown from a small grassroots organization into a larger more coherent organization with a clear strategic plan, a small paid staff, a board of directors, a team of volunteers and a clear mission: working for protection and promotion of women's and girls' human rights.  The main areas of focus for Bedari are discrimination and violence against women, education, economic empowerment and formulation of explicit laws and their implementation to safeguard women’s rights.

Safeer Ullah Khan is the Communications and Advocacy Manager for Bedari.  Below, in his own words, Safeer shares a story about one of the girls in the education program supported by GEI.  Please see how your contributions to GEI, and therefore Bedari, can impact the lives of young girls in Pakistan.

Riffat Shaheen – a resident of the village Laphi nearly 48 Kilometers away from Chakwal city – was studying in 5th grade, when her father, a patient of diabetes, died. It was a time of great difficulty for her mother Makhtoom Begum – an illiterate woman with five kids to take care of. She had a small piece of cultivable land, which she started tilling on her own. It did help to some extent but was not enough to keep the family in good condition. As Riffat passed her 5th grade examination, her mother stopped her from going to school. Riffat joined her mother in tilling the small piece of land. It was very depressing for her to work in the fields and see her classmates on their way to school passing by her fields. She had no option but to contend with what she had.


Finally, Bedari came to her rescue thanks to the financial support from Girls Education International. She was selected for educational scholarship, which enabled her to join her school after a break of two years. Now she is studying in grade 6. She is very happy. She says, ‘The first day at school when I rejoined was the best and the happiest day of my life’.

Thank you, Safeer for sharing Riffat's story!  Thank you Bedari for ensuring that the girls have these educational opportunities! Thank you to the many GEI supporters who have helped us make this dream a reality for Riffat. 


Don't forget, GEI is still involved in the GlobalGiving Open Challenge until September 30th.  The top goal was to raise at least $4000 from 50 unique donors.  GEI reached this goal within the first two weeks of the challenge, thanks to you!  However, the goodness doesn't have to end there.  If GEI can acquire 1st, 2nd or 3rd place on the leader board in this challenge (as determined by funds raised), then GlobalGiving will award us bonus funding in the amount of either $3,000 or $2,000.  This money will go very far in our Pakistan program!  Please click here to read about our project and make your donation today - every little bit counts!

GEI and the GlobalGiving Open Challenge

We are excited to announce an exciting opportunity for Girls Education International! Girls Education International (GEI) has been selected by the Global Giving Foundation to participate in its Open Challenge, a fundraising opportunity for nonprofit organizations working around the world.  We have chosen to highlight our programs in Pakistan for this challenge.

In order to succeed in GlobalGiving’s Open Challenge, GEI must raise $4,000 from at least 50 unique donors by September 30, 2010. If we meet this challenge, we will be given a permanent spot on GlobalGiving’s website. Benefits of being represented by GlobalGiving include:

1) potential corporate relationships,
2) exposure to a new donor network,
3) access to dozens of online fundraising tools, and
4) the ability to list all of our current programs and future projects.

In addition, if we raise the most money or have the most donors among the nonprofits competing in this Open Challenge, we could earn as much as $3,000 in financial prizes!

Please help us by visiting our page at GlobalGiving and making a tax deductible donation today. Not only will your donation help GEI continue our program in Pakistan, but, it will help us take advantage of a long-term fundraising opportunity!

We’re also going to need your help spreading the word! Please share this opportunity with your friends and family! You can send them to our GlobalGiving page or to our newly improved website!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support,

The GEI Team and all the GIRLS!

Welcome Our Newest GEI Board Member!

Girls Education International is growing stronger and stronger with every month! There is so much to learn as a new non-profit organization and excellence on the Board of Trustees is one critical component. Each month, as we meet to discuss future directions, program success, fundraising and much more, the Board matures, learns to operate more effectively and identifies strenths among our Trustees. When we identify a missing link on the Board, a gap in our skill set or an area that is underserved by our current Board, we begin to think of ways in which our Board can grow to better serve our international partners, our girls and our organization overall. It is in these moments that we hope for that perfect person to emerge. Given our many contacts, we often get lucky and that person emerges quickly - as was the case with our dedicated new Executive Director Therese Thompson.

Now, GEI is happy to introduce Michelle Simmons, our latest great discovery and a fabulous new addition to our Board. Michelle Simmons, LPC, holds a Masters Degree in Community Counseling from the University of Northern Colorado and is a licensed professional counselor. She has over 14 years of clinical experience in a variety of settings such as hospitals, community mental health centers and family service agencies. Michelle has extensive knowledge in crucial areas such as trauma, crisis intervention, child protective issues and the needs of foster parents and children in their care.

To give you a more personal introduction to Michelle, we asked her to respond to a few questions about girls education and serving on the Board for GEI.



GEI: Why is girls' education important?
Michelle: The education of girls is critical to the success of our future. Despite limited resources, every child deserves the right to an education. Given the fact that some girls do not have a voice in their country, it is our responsibility to speak for them.

GEI: Why did you join the board of Girls Education International?
Michelle: GEI provides a pathway to advocate for the education of girls in other parts of the world. I have benefitted tremendously from education and now have a way to pay it forward.

GEI: What do you hope to get out of this experience?
Michelle: I absolutely hope to give more than I receive! The opportunity to positively impact lives is enough.

GEI: Is there anything else that you would like to share with us about your investment in the areas of education, girls or development work?
Michelle: For the last 15 years I have been committed to the causes of Education and International Awareness and Involvement.

Welcome, Michelle! We're very happy to have you!

Fozia rejoins her school & other news in Pakistan

In light of the floods that have devastated the northern districts of Pakistan and the areas close to the banks of the Indus, Girls Education International checked in with our partner NGO, Bedari. According to project manager Safeer Ullah Khan, who recently visited Laphi and Sar Kalan, “All the girls supported through our education program are safe and sound.” The children are currently not in schools because the government schools are closed due to summer vacations and would be reopened after Eid holidays by mid-September.

While in the villages, Khan checked in with one of our girls and got her story. Please meet Fozia Zikriya...

Fozia Zikriya had been studying in the Government Elementary School Sar Kalan, and living a life free of cares in her small village some 48 Kilometers to the south-west of Chakwal City. But fate had something else in store for her.
Her father was implicated in a false case of murder, and was tortured. This paralyzed him mentally, and he became schizophrenic. This created a very tough situation for the family, as he was the primary breadwinner for the family. As well, their expenses shot up due to his medical care.

Her illiterate mother, Nusrat Bibi, has to take up odd jobs, which do not bring sufficient money. She goes to the nearby jungle, collects woods and sells them to her neighbors. She sews clothes, does embroidery, and works as maid for various rich households. She has become a very strong voice for girls’ education. “I believe girls’ education is important,” Bibi said. “If I were educated, I would have handled this situation quite well, and would not have needed support from any NGO for my children’s education.”

After passing her 8th grade, Fozia had to go to the neighboring village for secondary education, because there was no secondary school in her own village. Going to neighboring village involved huge cost on transportation – something too much for the unfortunate family. Fozia had lost all hope of continuing her education, when a social activist visited her house and asked her mother if she would like to send her daughter to school, both mother and daughter were overjoyed.

Now, thanks to the joint efforts of Girls Education International and Bedari, Fozia is going to school studying in grade 9.

High schoolers raise money for Girls Ed project in Liberia

Led by Clara Grainger and Kaziah White, soon-to-be juniors at Fairview High School in South Boulder, Colo., the club Leaping for Liberia (LEAP) raised nearly $600 for the Girls Education International (GEI) scholarship program in Liberia. LEAP meets once each week over the lunch hour, during the school year. The group of up to 70 students usually discusses where they want the money they raise to go, any upcoming fundraisers, and ideas for new ways to raise money. Girls Ed recently caught up with the two 16-year-old leaders of the group to ask them a few questions about LEAP.

GEI: Why did you start LEAP?
Clara: We started LEAP because we wanted to get involved in girls' education in Africa, and none of the existing clubs were really focused on that.

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.
GEI: What enticed you about working with Africans?
Kaziah: Africa is a really interesting continent, and we wanted to know more about it. Also, we knew that in certain countries, education is a big issue. Since that's what we wanted to help with, we thought Africa would be a good choice.

GEI: How did you find Girls Education International?
Clara: We found Girls' Education International on the Internet when we looked up local non-profits working with education in Africa.

GEI: What have you learned so far from this experience? (Maybe both of you could answer this one).
Kaziah: I've learned a ton from this experience. It really helps things to stay in perspective and makes me realize how incredibly lucky I am to be able to get a wonderful education without having to pay for it. I also learned never to start out with a clothes drive for girls in Africa; it costs a ton of money, and we hadn't taken that into account. I really think that I have (and will continue to) gained a great deal from this experience.
Clara: Yes, I agree about the clothes drive. This has also made me realize how we all tend to take school for granted. It is something that is has been provided for us. Without the scholarships, these girls in Liberia couldn't go to school, yet we still complain when we have to get up and go somewhere that we haven't really had to work for. This experience will continue to keeps things in perspective.

GEI: What have been the most rewarding parts of this project?
Kaziah: Just knowing that in some small way we're helping someone get opportunities that we've always taken for granted before is a very rewarding experience. Also, knowing that the girls we're working with are our age is really motivating.

GEI: What have been some of your biggest frustrations?
Clara: Well, some big frustrations have been trying to get people to take us seriously, both inside and outside the club. When people meet us, their first thought tends to be, "they're still in high school!" and they seem to take it from there.

GEI: What are you future goals with LEAP?
Kaziah: We want to continue to work with Girls Education International, and we want to try and raise more money than we did this year. Also, starting up communications with the girls in Liberia would be great.

Check out the clubs' Facebook page by clicking here.

Email update from Eleanor Moseman, a women traveling around China to raise funds for Girls Education International

Dear All,

Hope everyone is having a great summer and keeping cool - I know many are seeing record breaking temperatures.

I pedaled my way through record breaking temps in Hulun Buir (the China side of Siberia and the land of NOTHING) just 2 weeks ago. 40 degrees C, a hell of a headwind, and a blazing sun. You would not believe the sun's intensity that far north - the beautiful crimson sunsets make up for it. At that latitude you get approximately 5 hours of night...yeah, no sleeping in and you can possibly ride over 16 hours a day. That is, if your body can handle it. It's not the aches of your body per se, it's the sizzling of your skin, that cuts those mid afternoon hours out. I can not explain the sun to those who have never experienced this...it's insane.

Thanks to those loyal followers of my blog and hope if you haven't yet visited, you'll take a couple minutes and go on over to www.2wheels4girls.com

More importantly - I hope you take some time to read about the 2 charities I am raising money for. There will be a book and I am currently discussing with some American men currently traveling clockwise around China about a collaboration book project. A percentage of sales of book(s), along with sales of photos (I've already received some requests), will be going directly to Girls Education International.

I've traveled along the Grand Canal, looked out into Russia, climbed mountains, sank knee deep in mud, suffered from dysentery for a week, cycled through sand with dunes as my only company, met random Russian cyclists - one only wearing a pair of shorts with flower stickers on his bike, rode along galloping wild horses, ate dog?, held against my will for 3 hours with thousands of death threats, barely pushed 9km/hour because of headwinds, tastes of baijiu, daily laundry in sinks, went days without a shower, snuck into crumbling Japanese forts, sunburns, fought with a a drunken motorcyclist that wouldn't leave me alone, butt bruises, bloody nose (wind I believe), ran out of water, slept behind bushes on the side of the road, spent my first night in a real yurt.....

.....speaking Mandarin every.....single.....day....fortunate to speak English once a week....and experienced authentic loneliness.

Recently I was interviewed by BUST Magazine. Never would of imagined this honor - as I've been a loyal reader for many many years. Keep a look out or I'll keep you posted.

My biggest thanks goes to all the wonderful people I have met in the past 2 months. As much as a solo Explorer attempts to be self sufficient - I wouldn't have made it past 1000km without the kindness and generosity of strangers. These are the people that have made this ride a success - and have helped to maintain my safety. Truly.

Tailwinds,
E Moseman

$820 raised at IMCD Women's Rock Weekend.

Heidi and Lizzy had a fantastic time in New Hampshire at the IMCS Women's Rock Weekend! Heidi's slideshow was well attended and, as always, super fun to watch. All of us at GEI want to extend a big thank you to IMCS, all the awesome ladies who organized and attended the event. We raised $820 for GEI with the T-Shirt sales and the silent auction. Read more & see photos by clicking here.

Heidi & Lizzy off to New Hampshire for Women's Rock Weekend & fundraising event

Heidi and I are off to the International Mountain Climbing School's Women's Rock Weekend in less than two weeks. We are both really excited to climb in New Hampshire with organizer Sarah Garlick and also to be teaching for both days of the weekend. The event includes: two days of women's climbing clinics taught by professional women guides, plus an après-climb community party, dinner, a slideshow, and a silent auction that benefits Girls Education International (our organization!). This is the organization's 18th year running the event, making it one of the longest-running women's climbing events in the country!

More info from their website about Heidi's slide show. I will be doing a five-minute introduction of Girls Education International.
:) Lizzy

Come to the Annual Women's Rock Weekend slide show by Heidi Wirtz and get inspired!

Heidi Wirtz will be giving this year's slide show for Women's Rock Weekend. Just in case you haven't heard of her - this is one incredibly talented woman with a dedication to philanthropy that is as great as her climbing ability. The North Face athlete has climbed all over the world and the slide show will be about her trips to Pakistan, Australia, Nepal, and Morocco. She will also highlight her "proudest send" - the first all-female free ascent of the South Howser Tower of the Bugaboos in Canada.

After visiting some schools for girls in the countries they were climbing in, Heidi and Lizzy Scully, another one of our guides for the weekend, formed Girls Education International. This organization supports educational opportunities for girls and women in underdeveloped regions of the world.

The slide show starts at 7:30pm and will be held at International Mountain Equipment. Tickets are $5.00 and there will be a raffle and silent Auction. Part of the proceeds will go towards Girls Education International.

40th Anniversary, May 2010 issue of Climbing Magazine Features Heidi Wirtz and GEI

Check out the 40th Anniversary, May 2010 issue of Climbing Magazine for an excellent feature article on Heidi Wirtz and Girls Education International, by Chris Weidner.

Cycling Across China for Girls Education International

We are excited to share the news that Eleanor Moseman, a girls education advocate, is embarking on her bike tour across China to raise funds and awareness for girls education everywhere! Eleanor contacted GEI about a year ago to announce her plan to ride her bike throughout China. She shared her commitment to riding for organizations that promote girls education - and she chose two organizations to support: Girls Education International and Stepping Stones, an organization based in Shanghai, China that promotes educational opportunities for migrant children.


In a recent interview, this is what Eleanor had to say about why she chose GEI as an organization to support:

I chose Girls Education International because it's a foundation run by women for young girls all over the world. They are outdoor enthusiasts, rock climbers, etc. and I felt a common interest with them. It's a great foundation because they do not go to other countries and force a Western way of life on them, but rather train locals to help their own girls.

Eleanor Moseman has been living and working in Shanghai, China since 2008. She works as a photographer and lives as an outdoor enthusiast and cultural explorer, which naturally led to the idea of embarking on a bike tour through China while creating an accompanying photo essay. Her drive to promote access to education for all girls stems from her acknowledgement that as an American woman she has been afforded endless opportunities for education. She hopes that through her ride, her blog and her photography she can join the ranks of other catalysts for change in the lives of girls around the world.

You can read more about Eleanor and her bike tour on her website - which includes the blog roll she will share as she rides and rides and rides! You can show your support for Eleanor and the girls she hopes to impact by 'chipping in'.

Way to go, Eleanor! Have a fabulous time. You have the energy of all girls at your back, giving you a little nudge up the hills and stamina on long days.