Sep 24
Sunday (September Eight) was first International Literacy day. Twitter was alight with quotes about the power of reading, infographics, and uplifting stories, and it really got me thinking and wanting to learn more about literacy rates around the world. In honor of International Literacy Day the United Nation Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published …
Aug 23
“The birth and rise of new media is, however, changing the story for many girls in Africa who have been given an opportunity to compete with their male counterparts. “- MAUREEN AGENA, I’m sure it would come to no surprise to any of you if I told you that technology was one of the quickest …
Aug 19
I’m sure most of you have heard of the island of Madagascar, particularly since the release of the Madagascar animated films, and know that the country is home to numerous animal species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. 10,000 of the islands 12,000 plant species, for example, are endemic, as are half of the …
Jul 08
As many of you know, Nelson Mandela, the Anti-Apartheid leader, Nobel Prize winner, Author, “Father of the Nation” (The New South Africa), former President and one of the 25 most influential people of our time, lies in hospital in a critical condition. Not much has been divulged of his condition and rightly so, as any patient, …
Jul 01
“They take it for granted that if you work for an NGO you are funded by the west, that you are trying to change local traditions and customs, you are doing something that is secular. They no longer expect to get any public support, so no effort is being made to win hearts and minds. …
Jun 28
Going to school with different types of people, I have been exposed to different lifestyles and many different opportunities. With race being a descriptive difference between the environments I have grown up in and learned from, I am aware of the different conditions within these environments. There is a complex racial dynamic in our society …
Jun 28
While 25 of America’s Presidents have been lawyers, China, for the very first time in its more than 60 years history, welcomes a former law student as one of the top national leaders. Li Keqiang, a Bachelor of Law degree holder from the Peking University, was nominated as Prime Minister in early March. Having been …
Jun 12
No more pencils. No more books. No more teacher’s dirty looks. A favorite song of mine, which I would often sing to myself every time June rolled around. The tune would play over and over in my head, as I would count down to the last day of school in a rush of projects, parties, …
Jun 11
There are many things that are stopping girls from being able to get an education, from lack of infrastructure to natural disasters. However, there is one large, looming obstacle that is keeping many girls from schools; child brides. It is estimated that in the next decade 14.2 million girls will be married before their 18th …
Jun 06
Did you know that Cambodia has a literacy rate of 74 percent? That is considered one of the lowest rates in Asia. Literacy rates are used to determine education quality in each country. However, the primary education completion rate in 2009 was 84 percent and has been slowly increasing. The literacy rate is fairly low …
