10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos
-
0:19 - 0:23So, I work as the director
for NGO partnerships, -
0:23 - 0:26for a girls' education campaign
called "10 x 10." -
0:26 - 0:29I've had the opportunity to meet and learn
-
0:29 - 0:32from hundreds of girls
in the developing world -
0:32 - 0:34over the course of our campaign.
-
0:34 - 0:35We've created a multimedia campaign
-
0:35 - 0:40focused on spreading the word
to the farthest corners of the world -
0:40 - 0:45on the value that an education that a girl
receives has on entire communities. -
0:45 - 0:49The cornerstone piece to our project
is a feature film, a major motion picture, -
0:49 - 0:54that I hope you all will go see
next spring in 2013, called "Girl Rising." -
0:54 - 0:58Another part of this process, though,
has allowed me to attend many events -
0:58 - 1:04that are focused on girls'
and women's empowerment, education. -
1:04 - 1:06Sometimes, I even get
the chance to speak at them. -
1:06 - 1:09And something
I find frightening, actually, -
1:09 - 1:14is that these events are
completely attended by just women. -
1:14 - 1:17In fact, I'm sometimes
the only man in attendance. -
1:17 - 1:20And I keep getting asked the same
question over, and over, and over again, -
1:20 - 1:22and it's always phrased
slightly differently, -
1:22 - 1:25and it's something like, "Hey Justin,
-
1:25 - 1:28so, as a man, why do you think
it's important to educate girls?" -
1:28 - 1:32Or, "Justin, why is it
so important to speak out -
1:32 - 1:35for the rights of women and girls?"
-
1:35 - 1:39So today, since I have
a little less than 16 minutes left, -
1:39 - 1:43I thought I'd use my time to share
with you a more personal account -
1:43 - 1:48and the longer answer on why
I personally believe, as a man, -
1:48 - 1:51that investing in girls is the best
investment the global community can make -
1:51 - 1:55to see sustainable changes
and lift countries out of poverty. -
1:56 - 2:00I'm going to share with you some anecdotes
from journal entries that I've made -
2:00 - 2:02after sharing time with girls
in some of the countries -
2:02 - 2:05that we're working on from the project.
-
2:05 - 2:08These observations are meant to inspire
-
2:08 - 2:10and they're really
just coming from my heart. -
2:10 - 2:12I wanted today's talk
to be about storytelling -
2:12 - 2:15so that you could understand,
from my perspective, -
2:15 - 2:16why this is my conviction.
-
2:16 - 2:19So, my first story comes
from a place in Uganda, -
2:19 - 2:22and the observation
goes something like this: -
2:22 - 2:24that little boys grow up to be men,
-
2:24 - 2:27and that respect for girls
turns into respect for women, -
2:27 - 2:29and that this all starts
when girls become empowered -
2:29 - 2:31at a really young age.
-
2:31 - 2:35So, we were in Kampala,
just outside, actually. -
2:35 - 2:37The main highway goes down this road,
-
2:37 - 2:41and there's a little mud hut
in this town called Mpigi, -
2:41 - 2:43where we met this girl named Lydia.
-
2:43 - 2:45Lydia is a phenomenal student.
-
2:45 - 2:48She's 13 years old.
She's excelling in school. -
2:48 - 2:50We learned Lydia's story:
-
2:50 - 2:53she's the only surviving member
of her entire family. -
2:53 - 2:55She lost all three of her siblings to HIV.
-
2:55 - 2:58They were all born with it
and they all died. -
2:58 - 3:00She also lost both of her parents to HIV.
-
3:00 - 3:04She's the only surviving member,
at 13 years old. -
3:04 - 3:08We then found that Lydia was living
in this house with her "Jaja." -
3:08 - 3:11Her "Jaja" is her grandma,
and Jaja was an amazing woman. -
3:11 - 3:13Obviously, her favorite color is purple
-
3:13 - 3:16and she's dressed
from head to toe in this gown. -
3:16 - 3:21She herself is battling with disability.
She's old and she can hardly walk. -
3:21 - 3:24She lost all her siblings to HIV and AIDS.
-
3:24 - 3:26So, as we were talking to Jaja,
-
3:26 - 3:30we quickly found that she's
this wonderful, jovial woman, -
3:30 - 3:32who laughs hysterically at her own jokes,
-
3:32 - 3:34and there were all these
little boys running around. -
3:34 - 3:36There were eight
little boys in that house, -
3:36 - 3:38and as they began
to tell us their stories, -
3:38 - 3:41we found that it was one woman, Jaja,
-
3:41 - 3:44one girl, raising eight
orphaned boys in a house, -
3:44 - 3:47a little one-bedroom house
next to the highway. -
3:47 - 3:50So, Jaja sort of scooted
over to her makeshift kitchen -
3:50 - 3:54and she began to roll out dough
with a beer bottle. -
3:54 - 3:57She was going to make samosas
for the children and also to sell. -
3:57 - 3:59She began to tell us stories,
-
3:59 - 4:02and as the day progressed,
we began to observe what was happening. -
4:02 - 4:05Jaja just kind of sat there cracking jokes
to herself and laughing hysterically, -
4:05 - 4:08but all of the children
were following Lydia around, -
4:08 - 4:12all these little boys who were following
their sister around as she studied, -
4:12 - 4:13they would mimic her.
-
4:13 - 4:17They admired her, they looked up
to her with everything. -
4:17 - 4:18So, we started taking to the boys,
-
4:18 - 4:22and most of the boys said
that they had dreams of going to school. -
4:22 - 4:24I mean, you can imagine
that some of them were so young. -
4:24 - 4:29Some of them were actually in school.
They said that Lydia is their tutor. -
4:29 - 4:33And most of them dreamed
of becoming teachers or doctors. -
4:33 - 4:36We asked Lydia on that day
what her dream was, and she told us, -
4:36 - 4:39"Well, my dream is that I want
to learn how to drive a car." -
4:39 - 4:42And I said, "Why do you want to learn
how to drive a car?" -
4:42 - 4:44And she said, "I want to take
my brothers down that highway. -
4:44 - 4:46I want to take my brothers down that road
-
4:46 - 4:49and take them to where
everybody else gets to go." -
4:49 - 4:52And, you know, I think
that, that evening, when I got home, -
4:52 - 4:57I thought about what she had said
and I thought that it's really incredible, -
4:57 - 5:00despite all of these children's odds
that they're up against, -
5:00 - 5:02and Lydia in particular -
-
5:02 - 5:06She not only is carrying the burden
of an entire family of eight new siblings, -
5:06 - 5:08but she's excelling in school,
-
5:08 - 5:12and she's becoming a leader and she's
guiding her brothers up, her and her Jaja. -
5:12 - 5:16I have no doubt that those boys are going
to grow up to be teachers and doctors -
5:16 - 5:18and that they're never going to forget
-
5:18 - 5:20that a big counterpart
to their own success -
5:20 - 5:23was their sister and their grandmother.
-
5:23 - 5:28My next story comes
from rural northeastern Ethiopia; -
5:28 - 5:30so, way in the north.
-
5:30 - 5:33It was a phenomenal community
we got to visit there. -
5:33 - 5:35They're nomadic people,
-
5:35 - 5:38who literally follow their camel
and goat herds throughout the desert, -
5:38 - 5:42searching for water and for vegetation.
-
5:42 - 5:45And so, we met with the elders,
a group of man in this village, -
5:45 - 5:49who traditionally have always made
every decision in their history. -
5:49 - 5:53They're broken up into nomadic tribes
of about 30 to 70 people, -
5:53 - 5:55and they just wander through the desert.
-
5:55 - 5:58These members are sitting down
with us and they're telling us -
5:58 - 6:01how this nonprofit group came
into their community several years ago -
6:01 - 6:04and decided to implement
nomadic classrooms. -
6:04 - 6:08They were classrooms that could be
broken down just like all of their homes, -
6:08 - 6:11packed on the donkeys
and moved out within a day. -
6:11 - 6:15And so, they accepted the idea
and they began to train the elders -
6:15 - 6:16on the subjects, obviously,
-
6:16 - 6:19since nobody had ever been
educated in the community. -
6:19 - 6:22They had to first teach them math,
science, language, arts. -
6:22 - 6:26Well, the elder men decided they really
didn't want to have much to do. -
6:26 - 6:30Here's a picture of the nomadic classroom
and some of the girls inside of it. -
6:30 - 6:34The older men decided they didn't
want much to do with the education piece. -
6:34 - 6:37So, they decided to elect a group
of elder women to run the schools, -
6:37 - 6:39called the Central Management Committee,
-
6:39 - 6:41the first time ever
that they elected a group of females -
6:41 - 6:43to have any power in this village.
-
6:43 - 6:45So I sat down with the
Central Management Committee, -
6:45 - 6:48and this committee
was a force to be reckoned with. -
6:48 - 6:51They were cloaked in all red and gold.
-
6:51 - 6:53They really were very frank,
-
6:53 - 6:55the type of women who looked you
straight in the eye -
6:55 - 6:58and didn't have much to say,
but what they said was really important. -
6:58 - 7:01That woman there in the middle,
her name is Basu. -
7:01 - 7:03Basu is the leader
of the Central Education Committee. -
7:03 - 7:07She told us that she's the practitioner
of everything medically related to females -
7:07 - 7:08for the last 40 years,
-
7:08 - 7:12and that she had performed female
genital cutting on every single girl -
7:12 - 7:14during her 40 years.
-
7:14 - 7:16She then went on to describe the process
-
7:16 - 7:18by which she learned
how to teach the children. -
7:18 - 7:22She said that when this nonprofit group
had arrived in their community, -
7:22 - 7:24and began to teach the kids
about math, and science - -
7:24 - 7:27I'm sorry, the teachers
as well, the elders - -
7:27 - 7:32they also took the opportunity
to teach the elders about their bodies, -
7:32 - 7:35safety, human rights, their own rights.
-
7:35 - 7:37She said that, in that moment,
-
7:37 - 7:40she realized that what
she had done was wrong. -
7:40 - 7:42She looked me square
in the eye and she said, -
7:42 - 7:44"I haven't cut a girl for seven years,"
-
7:44 - 7:47and then she looked down
just like she's in that picture. -
7:47 - 7:50She looked down, she was bashful,
and the conversation ended. -
7:50 - 7:52And, you know,
I've been in many communities -
7:52 - 7:54where there are deep-rooted traditions
-
7:54 - 7:56that have been going on
for hundreds of years, -
7:56 - 7:59like female genital cutting
and early marriage. -
7:59 - 8:02We're constantly trying to figure out
how we can eradicate these, -
8:02 - 8:05and what I think happened in this
particular community were two things. -
8:05 - 8:07A group of elder men who had power
-
8:07 - 8:11gave a group of elder women
a little bit of power. -
8:11 - 8:14The elder woman then had influence
over the next generation. -
8:14 - 8:15The other thing that happened
-
8:15 - 8:18was these elder women
gained some useful knowledge -
8:18 - 8:19that they wouldn't have had before.
-
8:19 - 8:22They learned about their safety,
about their rights. -
8:22 - 8:25So, they utilized the little bit
of newfound power they had, -
8:25 - 8:28they utilized this useful
knowledge that they had, -
8:28 - 8:30and they decided it was wrong,
-
8:30 - 8:34and 40 years of tradition,
eradicated in one generation. -
8:34 - 8:37My next story actually
comes from the same village. -
8:37 - 8:40One of the girls who was pictured
in the last photograph, -
8:40 - 8:43of all of them in school,
her name is Bula. -
8:43 - 8:46So, Bula is 11, and she was really
only comfortable talking to me -
8:46 - 8:49when her best friend, pictured
behind her, was right by her side. -
8:49 - 8:50Like any teenage girl,
-
8:50 - 8:53they'd laugh at almost anything
that came out of my mouth. -
8:53 - 8:55They'd grab each other's
arms and just giggle. -
8:55 - 8:59We were really interested to learn
about what constitutes a girl's day -
8:59 - 9:02in this nomadic community,
and what school's like. -
9:02 - 9:03Bula's excelling in school.
-
9:03 - 9:06She's in the second cycle
of the three-cycle program -
9:06 - 9:09that these alternative
basic education centers have. -
9:09 - 9:13She told us that she generally wakes up
before the sun rises. -
9:13 - 9:15This is a normal day.
-
9:15 - 9:18She cleans her house
and then she cleans her neighbor's house. -
9:18 - 9:20Then, she goes out
and milks the camels and goats. -
9:20 - 9:23Then, she comes in and prepares
breakfast for her whole family, -
9:23 - 9:25and the sun has yet to rise.
-
9:25 - 9:27Then, she goes to school
and she studies all day long. -
9:27 - 9:30After school, she usually
walks around 6 kilometers -
9:30 - 9:33to go get clean water, to come back
to feed her camels and goats, -
9:33 - 9:34and her family.
-
9:34 - 9:37Then, she prepares dinner.
By this time, it's dark. -
9:37 - 9:40There's no electricity, so she studies
by candlelight every night. -
9:40 - 9:42She loves school.
-
9:42 - 9:45She told us her favorite subject
was math and science, -
9:45 - 9:47and I asked her what she wanted to be.
-
9:47 - 9:50She told me that she wanted
to be a healthcare worker. -
9:50 - 9:52So I said, "Why do you want
to be a healthcare worker?" -
9:52 - 9:55She said, "Because there's
no healthcare in my community. -
9:55 - 9:59We're always moving and I want to be
the solution to that problem." -
9:59 - 10:01I was taken back
by her answer and I thought, -
10:01 - 10:04"That's pretty advanced
for an 11-year-old." -
10:04 - 10:06And then, she quickly
started talking again. -
10:06 - 10:09She said, "But I'm engaged to be married.
-
10:09 - 10:11I just met my husband,
my fiancé, last week. -
10:11 - 10:14My father found a great man,
with a lot of camels. -
10:14 - 10:15I'm going to be married."
-
10:15 - 10:18I thought, "This is so strange
that she's sharing with me her dream -
10:18 - 10:21of becoming a doctor,
or a healthcare worker, -
10:21 - 10:24when she knows, as soon as a woman
in her community is married, -
10:24 - 10:26they're unable to finish school."
-
10:26 - 10:29So, I pondered that one
and I thought about it for a while. -
10:29 - 10:33What I realized is that, once a girl
sees the value of her education, -
10:33 - 10:36she also sees the value of education
for the next generation. -
10:36 - 10:40And while Bula share with me
that dream as if it were her own, -
10:40 - 10:42I know she actually share it with me
-
10:42 - 10:44because she knows,
when she has children some day, -
10:44 - 10:46they will be the solution to the problem,
-
10:46 - 10:49they will become doctors
and they will become health workers. -
10:50 - 10:54From there, I'm going to take to a place
that's a little closer to home. -
10:54 - 10:56I was on the other side of Brazil,
-
10:56 - 10:59right across the border, actually,
but in the Andes of Peru, -
10:59 - 11:03at 1,100 meters, working on the project.
-
11:03 - 11:08And this town is on top of the glacier
that's called "La Rinconada." -
11:08 - 11:11It's about 100,000 people crammed
-
11:11 - 11:13at the very top of an icy mountain
that never melts. -
11:13 - 11:18The reality for anyone there
to be successful is meek; -
11:18 - 11:20much less if you're a girl.
-
11:20 - 11:22There's one overcrowded school,
-
11:22 - 11:26and we were really interested
when we went there to visit this school -
11:26 - 11:29to find out what constitutes
a girl's dream at the top of the glacier, -
11:29 - 11:32where there's no real tangible escape.
-
11:32 - 11:36So, as the girls began coming up to us
and talking to us about their dreams, -
11:36 - 11:38what we found was
that we are learning more -
11:38 - 11:43about the realities of the situation
for girls and adolescents in that village. -
11:43 - 11:44Since it's a mining town,
-
11:44 - 11:47the village opens its doors nightly
to masses of brothels, -
11:47 - 11:50where the miners squander their earnings.
-
11:50 - 11:53The reality for a girl,
as she grows up in this town, -
11:53 - 11:56is HIV and AIDS,
it's gender-based violence, -
11:56 - 12:00it's early pregnancy, it's trafficking.
-
12:00 - 12:04So, instead of dreams, we were learning
a lot harder realities for the girls. -
12:04 - 12:06This whole time there was another girl
-
12:06 - 12:08who was not interested
in talking to us at all. -
12:08 - 12:10She sort of sat away from us at our table.
-
12:10 - 12:12The whole day, she was just sort of being.
-
12:12 - 12:16She was patient, she was writing
incessantly in her journal. -
12:16 - 12:18She would close her book,
she would just watch, -
12:18 - 12:21and as the night began to fall and
the rest of the girls began to go home, -
12:21 - 12:23we went over and approached this girl.
-
12:23 - 12:26She was meek and she was
sort of slumped over, -
12:26 - 12:28she didn't look very happy,
-
12:28 - 12:30and we asked her
what was inside of her book. -
12:30 - 12:34And she opened it and it was
pages and pages of poetry, -
12:34 - 12:38poetry written over and over
by her favorite Spanish poets, -
12:38 - 12:42a lot of it that she had written herself,
and she just began to brighten. -
12:42 - 12:44This girl that was down
like this and shy all day, -
12:44 - 12:47her smile became so big
it could hardly fit into her mouth. -
12:47 - 12:49She said her name was Senna.
-
12:49 - 12:53Senna was 14 when we met her
and she told us her story that day. -
12:53 - 12:55She said that she was named Senna
-
12:55 - 12:58because her father loved
"Xena, the Warrior Princess," -
12:58 - 13:00who he had seen on TV.
-
13:00 - 13:04She was born a mere two pounds,
very, very tiny, and she almost died, -
13:04 - 13:08and her father decided to name
his daughter after the princess warrior, -
13:08 - 13:11because he wanted her
to fight for her life. -
13:11 - 13:13Senna fought for her life
and she survived, -
13:13 - 13:15and she started going to school,
-
13:15 - 13:19and her father continued
to instill this strength within her. -
13:19 - 13:21He told her, "Senna, you are a warrior.
-
13:21 - 13:23The more you know,
the better you'll fight. -
13:23 - 13:26The more education you get,
the stronger you'll be." -
13:26 - 13:28He told her this every single day.
-
13:28 - 13:31He said, "You have
all the makings of an engineer." -
13:31 - 13:33One day, Senna got home from school,
-
13:33 - 13:37and she found out that her dad
had had a terrible accident in the mine. -
13:37 - 13:39He didn't die, but he was very sick.
-
13:39 - 13:40She had to stop going to school
-
13:40 - 13:43and she picked up a job
cleaning the public pit latrines, -
13:43 - 13:46the only place that a girl her age
could work that was safe. -
13:46 - 13:48She made cents per day,
-
13:48 - 13:52those cents she would give to her family
to help pay for his medication. -
13:52 - 13:56His health began
to deteriorate very quickly -
13:56 - 13:59and, unfortunately, Senna's father died.
-
14:00 - 14:03When Senna told us her father died,
-
14:03 - 14:06she also said that's when she began
to recite her poetry. -
14:06 - 14:10As we sat in front of her,
she literally became a different person. -
14:10 - 14:13I saw something that was
so much more ethereal, -
14:13 - 14:15it's like nothing like I've ever seen.
-
14:15 - 14:18She stood up and she began
to recite poetry to us, -
14:18 - 14:21and the warrior, and the anger,
and the passion, and the opportunity, -
14:21 - 14:26and everything she had
was like nothing I'd ever seen. -
14:27 - 14:30So, Senna now recites
her poetry to inspire others. -
14:30 - 14:32She's excelling in school.
-
14:32 - 14:36She's won two poetry competitions
in the country of Peru. -
14:36 - 14:40She's well on her way to becoming
the very first girl -
14:40 - 14:44she's ever known to complete school
and go on to university. -
14:46 - 14:50Countless times, I have seen
that it's been a man, -
14:50 - 14:54or a brother, a teacher, a male teacher,
a male influence in a girl's life, -
14:54 - 14:57that has instilled in them the strength
and the dignity they deserve, -
14:57 - 15:00to lift them from the barriers
that they were in. -
15:00 - 15:01This happens all the time,
-
15:01 - 15:06so my question is, why aren't men
taking a more active role in girls' lives? -
15:07 - 15:11We've got Senna, we've got Jaja, Lydia.
-
15:11 - 15:13We've got the Central Education Committee.
-
15:13 - 15:15We've got all girls all over the world.
-
15:15 - 15:18It's time we stand up
and start taking action. -
15:18 - 15:23Men, these moments matter.
Everything that we say and do matters. -
15:23 - 15:27You're around girls and women
all of the time. Encourage them. -
15:27 - 15:30Encourage them like Senna's
father encouraged her. -
15:30 - 15:31Use your own opportunities
-
15:31 - 15:34and the own knowledge
that you've been given to mentor a girl. -
15:34 - 15:36Open up a new door for a girl.
-
15:36 - 15:40Talk to her and listen to her carefully.
-
15:40 - 15:45Her stories, her ideas,
her perspectives could change you. -
15:46 - 15:50We know that an educated
girl will marry later. -
15:50 - 15:52She will have fewer children.
-
15:52 - 15:54We know she's more likely
to stand up to abuse -
15:54 - 15:57and less likely to contract HIV and AIDS.
-
15:58 - 16:03We know that, when a girl gets educated,
she goes up and could become a mother. -
16:03 - 16:07She will educate her sons
and her daughters equally. -
16:07 - 16:10Her decisions begin to matter.
-
16:10 - 16:13Her decisions begin to shape
the decisions that make her family, -
16:13 - 16:16that make her community,
that shape her society, -
16:16 - 16:19and eventually shape her entire nation.
-
16:19 - 16:23Folks, I believe that we're
in a point right now in our lifetime -
16:23 - 16:28where, in this generation, we can see
in our lives a change happen. -
16:28 - 16:31I encourage you all to become
active participants. -
16:31 - 16:34Do something simple. Act for girls.
-
16:35 - 16:38I truly believe that, in our lifetime,
-
16:38 - 16:42we can look back on these days
from a gender-inclusive perspective, -
16:43 - 16:45and we'll remember when we used to say
-
16:45 - 16:49how important it was
to educate and invest in girls. -
16:50 - 16:53I want us all to feel proud at that day,
-
16:53 - 16:55knowing that we were active participants
-
16:55 - 16:59in a moment in time
that unlocked a better future -
16:59 - 17:03and more opportunities
for girls and for the entire world. -
17:03 - 17:04Thank you.
-
17:04 - 17:07(Applause)
- Title:
- 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos
- Description:
-
Justin Reeves is the director of the NGOs "10x10" and "Girl Rising." He has worked for six years in South America as an anthropologist, as a teacher, and helping develop several NGOs that help women and girls.
He talks about these projetcs and about how the world can change by educating girls.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 17:13
Leonardo Silva edited English subtitles for 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos | ||
Leonardo Silva edited English subtitles for 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos | ||
Leonardo Silva approved English subtitles for 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos | ||
Leonardo Silva edited English subtitles for 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos | ||
Leonardo Silva edited English subtitles for 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos | ||
Leonardo Silva edited English subtitles for 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos | ||
Mile Živković accepted English subtitles for 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos | ||
Mile Živković edited English subtitles for 10 x 10: educate girls | Justin Reeves | TEDxUnisinos |