HP and Girl Rising Celebrate International Day of the Girl with 12 Stories of Empowerment from Around the Globe
October 11 2018 - 9:00AM
Announces results of Creative Challenge that
highlight inspiring stories of overcoming discrimination and
poverty, and fighting for access to education and free speech
Today, in honor of International Day of the Girl, HP (NYSE: HPQ)
and Girl Rising, a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating poverty by
providing education to girls, are celebrating 12 stories of female
empowerment gathered from around the globe as part of the first
ever Girl Rising Creative Challenge. Introduced on International
Women’s Day in March, the challenge was a call-to-action to
highlight storytelling that has the power to change the world. More
than 880 stories were submitted from people in 110 countries who
entered essays, videos, art and more about how they, or people in
their communities, are working to make the world a better place for
girls.
“HP and Girl Rising both believe in the power of stories to
change mindsets and spark meaningful action,” said Christina
Lowery, CEO, Girl Rising. “During this Challenge, it has been
incredibly inspiring to learn how all kinds of people - girls,
boys, mothers, fathers, and teachers - are working every day to
change the lives of girls and bring about a more gender-equitable
world. It is my sincere hope that sharing their stories will
inspire others to find ways they can make a difference in their own
communities.”
Entries covered issues impacting girls and women globally,
including access to education in conflict settings, combating
gender-based violence, empowering girls through sports, and sexual
and reproductive health.
The volume of story entries was culled to 40 finalists, of which
an esteemed panel of judges chose the 12 winners. Among the judges:
David Oyelowo, actor; Landry Bender, actor; Isha Sesay, journalist
and activist; Sejal Kumar, YouTube influencer; Kat Gordon, founder,
The 3% Conference; Shelley Zalis, CEO, The Female Quotient; Andrew
Robertson, president & CEO, BBDO; and Madonna Badger,
co-founder & chief creative officer, Badger &
Winters.
“Gender-based discrimination keeps millions of girls and women
from reaching their full potential. Today we honor these stories by
spotlighting and sharing them,” said Karen Kahn, Chief
Communications Officer, HP. “We were humbled by the volume and
breadth of responses and are truly inspired by the entrants from
across the globe who are using the power of storytelling to help
change their world.”
The winners of the HP/Girl Rising Creative Challenge are:
- Accelerated Secondary Education for Women from Africa
Educational Trust (ASEW in South
Sudan): Due to conflict, poverty and
early pregnancy, many women in South Sudan, are unable to attend
secondary school. The lack of education leaves them deeply
vulnerable. ASEW, a project implemented by Africa Educational Trust
in Yambio Town, South Sudan, is an accelerated secondary education
program centered around flexible learning times and an active
learning methodology with on-site child care. This unique approach
to educating those in low- resource, high-conflict areas, resulted
in a pilot where ASEW students achieved the highest grades in the
state and the 9th highest grades nationally.
- Brown Girls DO Ballet®, (USA): What
began as a personal photography project to highlight girls of
Hispanic, African, Asian, East Indian and Native American ancestry
in ballet programs, has now transformed into an artistic movement
celebrating the beauty and power of diversity. By redefining a
classically Euro-centric art form, generations of diverse
ballerinas, alongside their audiences, are now inspired and
empowered.
- Decisions – Cecelia Choices from Zenafri Limited
(Nigeria): This multi-platform, interactive mobile
game is targeted at young African women and aims to educate and
empower them as they navigate the challenges of poverty, reduced
access to education, sexual violence and teen pregnancy. The game
series uses storytelling and interactive decision making to guide
young women through the process. The combination of entertainment
and education is a creative and compelling approach to empowering
young women.
- Fear is a Liar from Remnant International (Uganda &
Democratic Republic of the Congo): The lives of
Congolese women in Uganda is often challenging. Many have been
ripped from their homes by soldier husbands and brought to a new
country where they are often ostracized and abandoned. Without a
home, papers or a job, they are forced to sell their body. Remnant
International created a program in 2010 that provides alternate
sources of income through sewing and screen-printing trades. In
addition, they provide vocational training, as well as tend to the
spiritual, physical and emotional needs of the Congolese women
through mentorships, financial training and health seminars. Their
film, Fear is a Liar, is one of the many ways they inspire, empower
and educate these women to strive for more.
- Field of Dreams from Building Tomorrow
(Uganda): In an effort to build greater self-esteem
and confidence in the young girls of Uganda, two Building Tomorrow
Fellows created the first of its kind: A football program for
girls. Most of the girls, previously expected to rush home after
their school day to clean and do domestic chores, can now learn
teamwork, conflict resolution and communication skills outside of
the classroom.
- Free Women Writers (Afghanistan): The UN
estimates that 90% of Afghan women are victims of violence. The
Free Women Writers collective, comprised of Afghan writers and
activists, is working to reverse this horrible statistic. Through
published books, as well as an on-line platform to share poetry,
narrative, journal entries, reports and articles, the group uses
storytelling to educate, advocate and ultimately, change
lives.
- Girls Voices Initiative from Lucy Sananai
(Kenya): The Girls Voices Initiative trains young
girls to speak up and advocate for their rights against Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. Lucy Sananai is one of
their candidates and shines a light on how her training and
newfound voice has been used to educate other girls in Kajiado
about their rights, the effects of FGM, as well as how to rise-up
to eradicate it in Kenya.
- My Life of Advocating for the Girl Child from Fatima
Gebi (Nigeria): Fatima is a 17-year-old,
self-described African girl-child advocate, stereotype breaker and
student. To everyone else, she is an extraordinary wonder working
tirelessly as a passionate activist. She leads multiple
organizations and provides numerous seminars and talks to enlighten
girls and parents about the importance of education. Additionally,
she advocates on behalf of a group of abducted African girls to
bring them home safely.
- Safe Kicks Initiative - Adolescent Girls Against Sexual
Violence from Girl Pride Circle (Nigeria): In
Nigeria, one out of four girls fall victim to sexual violence. The
Safe Kicks Initiative is an after-school program that equips
adolescent girls with self-defense skills, alongside sexual
violence education. To date, 270 adolescent girls have been
trained. The same girls drafted an unprecedented community action
plan for the prevention of sexual violence, which was adopted by
the local government and implemented by Girl Pride Circle – a
registered NGO in Nigeria advocating for girls’ rights and
empowering them to transform their communities.
- Swapn Pahte – I have a dream from Bright Future
(India): Pooja is a young girl from a tribal village
in Dalonda, Bhiwandi-Thane. To improve her family’s financial
condition, she found a job with an NGO called Bright Future. This
organization helps youth build their employable skills and
transform their passions into employment. Pooja took this knowledge
and brought it back to her village to spark a revolution. She now
provides life, education and employment guidance to youth in her
village.
- They Say from All Girls Code
(Lebanon): They Say is an inspiring film created by
the All Girls Code initiative which introduces young girls to tech
and STEM fields. The film inspires young girls to challenge
cultural stereotypes and reach beyond the roles they’ve been
limited to.
- Turning Periods into Pathways from Days for Girls
(Nepal): In Nepal, Chhaupadi is a long-held
tradition in which girls banished from their
homes while they menstruate, often relegated to isolated
sheds or makeshift structures. Not only does the ritual keep girls
out of school, which is the single most empowering factor in
improving their lives, but they are subject to sub-human
conditions. This program, implemented by Days for Girls.org,
is working to end the tradition through education and DfG kits. The
work empowers girls to defend their right to an education and drive
change in their communities.
Beyond sharing the winners’ stories across their storytelling
channels, HP and Girl Rising will provide the winners with
microgrants and HP technology and services to continue and expand
their important work to inspire change and reinvention.
Specifics about the Creative Challenge winning entries can be
found at https://girlrising.org/challenge/. For a summary of the
winning entries, visit here.
RELATED LINKS
- Read more about the story behind HP and Girl Rising’s work to
empower girls on the HP Garage
- Read how HP, the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ), UNICEF
and Google.org are partnering to eradicate poverty by providing
education to girls here
- About HP Sustainable Impact: www.hp.com/sustainableimpact
About Girl RisingGirl Rising is a non-profit
organization working to change the way the world values and invests
in girls. GR uses the power of media and partnerships to inspire
girls to create a different future for themselves and to engage
those around girls – parents, brothers, teachers, and community
leaders – to do their part in breaking down the barriers holding
girls back. About HP
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone,
everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices,
solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze. More
information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com
Tom SuiterTom.Suiter@hp.com(415)
730-6521www.hp.com/go/newsroom |
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