by Jasmine Davis

“One girl with courage is a revolution,” says the tagline of Girl Rising, a new movie from 10x10, a project that seeks to educate girls around the world. The movie discusses the importance of educating girls, a strategy that’s worked in many communities throughout the world as a means to ending poverty.

Building women’s empowerment through education is not a new idea, but it’s one that’s explored beautifully in this movie. Narrated by Hollywood celebrities, the tales of how nine girls got education are told. One of the girls, Suma in Nepal, was a “bonded servant” in a household, and learned to read and write thanks to the urging of a schoolteacher in one of the homes she worked for. Other stories come from countries like Cambodia, India and Afghanistan. The education of women in Afghanistan is an important topic here at Women’s Annex, as is learning how to empower women.

This documentary highlights just how important it is for Afghanistan schools for girls and women to continue providing education. Education of women in Afghanistan has the power to change entire lives and communities. For example, when women in Afghanistan receive an education, they’re better able to provide for themselves and their families and are more likely to educate their children.

The Afghan Development Project is building connected classrooms throughout Afghanistan to help children gain an education in technological skills, like social media. This helps them move beyond reading and writing and into learning employer-friendly skills that will allow them to compete in the world marketplace.

As Tina Brown, Newsweek editor, said at a recent screening of the film, “When you educate girls, good things happen.”

To find a screening of the film in your area, check out the website.