day 1! - "Half the Sky"

And... the project has begun! A lot of people asked why I was wearing a dress today, and I told them about the project for women's education. So exciting to get the word around! People are really supportive of the cause, so we’re off to a great start.

Just starting this project today was a big deal for me because I’ve thought about it almost every day since August. Literally. I had gone to Barnes and Noble over the summer to pick out a book for my summer reading project, and perusing through the books, I saw one that stood out from Steinbeck and Hemingway. No big deal – it simply looked like an interesting book. It turned out that it would completely change my worldview.

Half the Sky, co-authored by NY Times journalist Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife, describes major problems faced by women today in developing regions such as Africa and Asia. One might not think a book that discusses, among numerous other topics, microcredit finance, prostitution, and obstetric fistulas would be an interesting, let alone pleasant, read. But Kristof and his wife communicate these problems in a real way, putting faces to accounts: They interviewed dozens of women and girls and told their personal stories. Definitely a book I would recommend – and definitely a book that will change your paradigm.

More than the heartrending stories of conditions in which women in today’s society live, what really struck me were the stories of empowerment. Education truly has the potential to change women’s lives. 

"The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." -Lao Tzu

Janna