You Can Fix This Picture: The Girl Effect

 

One of the happiest girls I’ve ever met doesn’t own a pair of shoes. She is less than ten years old, but she has more responsibility on her small shoulders than I had at 15, or 20, or even today. Her name is Mercy, and I met her in a rural community in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya, where I was building a school. This little girl had no shoes, and carried her younger sibling on her back, but she had a family and friends, clean water to drink, and she was going to school. She pulled me away from the work site and across the grassy field to her classroom. She sat down with me at her desk, and with the proudest smile I’ve ever seen, she read to me.

I grew up in a part of the world where girls are empowered and educated, but it wasn’t until I met Mercy that I realized how lucky I was. I realized something else that day, too. Something more important, something bigger than me and my small life. Sitting in that classroom listening to Mercy read, I knew just from the determined look on her face that I was looking at a little girl who would grow up to be a leader in her community. I couldn’t have felt more sure that these girls—if given the opportunity—will lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.

This post is part of the 2011 Girl Effect Blogging Campaign. Visit the Girl Effect site to find out about the movement and to find out what you can do to help girls!

Ojos que Sienten (Eyes that Feel): Photography by the blind

Photo released by blind photographer Alberto Loranca (AP/Alberto Loranca - Ojos que Sienten)

This photograph was taken by a visually impaired photographer named Alberto Loranca who is learning photography through Ojos que Sienten (Eyes That Feel), a foundation in Mexico City that works to promote the integration of the visually impaired into society and the workplace. How cool is that?! (Hint: it’s really, really cool.) The lighting, the photo composition… I’m so in awe.

Photo from here

Thankful Thursday

This week I’m thankful for…

1. Public speaking! (I know what you’re thinking: “Public speaking? Jen?…I must be reading the wrong blog.”) On Saturday I gave my maid of honour speech at my sister’s wedding, and even though I was so nervous that I saved my dinner for afterwards, it was actually…fun. I KNOW. I’m shocked too.

But here’s the thing: I shouldn’t be shocked. Because two years ago, I gave a speech about my experiences volunteering overseas that I’m still proud of today. So somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew. I knew that if you have that one thing, that one secret ingredient, public speaking can actually be a really rewarding experience.

Two years ago, I wasn’t sure what that thing—that secret ingredient—was. The fact that I was sitting next to DVDs of The West Wing—hands down the best speeches on television—while I was writing? Maybe. That inimitable, calming setting? That probably helped. (If you haven’t been to the desert in August—where you can sit outside a house that positively breathes with love and history—and watch the storm clouds rolling in, go. Go now.) The incredible facilitators who challenged and guided me? I’m sure all of those things played a part. But the thing that really made that speech something I can be proud of was my passion.

I had it that day in the desert, talking about my friends in Ecuador and Kenya and the things they taught me, and I think I must have had it on Saturday when I was telling everyone about growing up with my big sister. I’m so thankful for this reminder that when I’m scared, I just need to focus on my passion and my message, and they’ll shine through my fear.

2. Naps! Seriously, napping should not just be for the kindergarten-and-under set. My nap on Sunday afternoon when I got home from the wedding was quite possibly the best nap ever. (It must have been—I’m even blogging about it.) It would have won gold in the napping Olympics, it was that good. Whether in a bed, a hammock, or maybe even a blanket fort in the living room, I’m so very thankful for naps this week. (If you prefer that last option, I’m inviting myself to your place at naptime.)

3. Family! Family, family, family. Did you know that I’m a brother-in-law richer this week? It’s pretty great.

 

 

Photo of microphone from here. Photo of cat napping from here.