Girl Rising

I enjoyed watching the documentary "Girl Rising" and it was very eye-opening to me about how a person's education is essential in their success and overall well-being. I am an elementary education major and although I knew that education was important, I didn't realize how important it is for some people. In the United States we all are expected to go to school and we don't have to pay for tuition. We are given these amazing educations and we take it for granted. So many people don't have the opportunities we do, especially young girls in developing countries. The boys in the family are the ones that are usually educated, while the young girls are expected to work and serve other people. They aren't given control over their lives and often they can't take the control back because they don't have the education. Even if they want an education often it is extra money, and if they barely have enough money for food, their education is forgotten. The two stories that had the most impact on me were the stories of Ruksana and Amina. The others were also very impactful, but I think that their stories mirror each other.

Ruksana lives in India and she struggled in school because she was always dreaming and drawing in her notebooks. She thought that she would get in trouble with her father, but he ended up buying her a  drawing pad and pens. Her education and the education of her two sisters were not free, and their family was living on the streets but her parents were dedicated in giving the three girls an education to improve their lives. After Ruksana was almost attacked on the streets, her mother wanted to leave, but her father knew that heading back to their village would only trap the girls there. Even after they were kicked out of their home on the streets and her father wanted to give in, the mother than decided that they wouldn't let the people stop them. They didn't have a lot of money, but they knew that it was worth it to spend it on their education. I thought it was fantastic how supportive the parents were and they wouldn't let their struggles stop their children from succeeding. Ruksana got her strength from the support of her parents and she now has all the tools she needs to succeed.

Amina had a very different experience from Ruksana, but that did not stop her from trying to get her education. Ruksana's story was much more positive, but Amina's showed that she had a lot of inner strength. In Afghanistan, women are treated terribly and they are in a much more restrictive society than India, but Amina wouldn't let that stop her. Her birth wasn't recorded because she was a girl and she wasn't seen as important. Her mother was sad to have a girl and Amina started working around the house at 3. She was able to get a few years of education and learned to read and write, which seemed to give her a lot of strength. She was married off to a cousin at 11 and the money her family received from the wedding allowed them to buy a car for their son. Amina was seen as an object by her family and her husband. She is a child mother, but she didn't let that stop her get her education. She knew that she could be ostracized or even killed for pursuing her education, but she believed it was worth it. For Ruksana she had her parents to support her and give her the opportunities, but for Amina she took them. Having a few years of education helped her from turning into her mother and made her break the mold that so many people tried to place her in. She gained power from knowledge and it is so amazing to see.