March 2013 - Aidmatrix's Melis Jones and Charlotte Medley attended
CARE’s 2013 national conference in Washington, DC, March 5-8. The
conference kicked off Tuesday evening with a diplomatic reception at the French
Embassy at which CARE screened a portion of the documentary film Girl Rising.
Girl Rising showcases the stories of nine girls across the globe from Peru
to Nepal who have fought to get an education despite the extreme poverty they
faced. CARE has partnered with the film’s producers to bring these young girls’
stories to the big screen and audiences across the US.
Over the next two days we were members of the
Texas group participating and lobbying on Capitol Hill in support of two CARE
initiatives – 1) maintaining the Foreign Aid budget at the current level and 2)
implementing a Gender-Based Violence Strategy already released the summer of
2012.
Education is
another key women’s initiative for our partner, CARE. The portion of Girl Rising we viewed ignited a
desire in us to attend a local screening, which happened Tuesday, April 22 on
the Texas Christian University campus in Ft. Worth. The screening also provided
us a reunion with Karen Kelly, Sally McCracken, and Margaret Augustat, members
of the Texas delegation in Washington.
The movie
powerfully illustrates the challenges and dangers young girls face world-wide
and the empowerment education can provide. Each girl was paired with a writer
in her country, seven of the nine girls re-enacted their stories; voices such
as Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, and Anne Hathaway narrated the film.
If interested in attending a screening, google: Girl Rising for showings in your local area. You can also learn more about the film and view a trailer.
