first of all, this is such a cool video. watch it.
i always have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind with things like this that we (wealthy northerners) might be pushing our own agendas...doing a service for, rather than working with, the people we see as underprivileged. now, don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that there's not a problem or that girls are being treated in a fair and just manner, but i think we need to take a breath before we plunge right into something.
in the field of youth ministry, it seems like the thing to do is have some sort of youth leadership council so that we can, first of all, hear the needs of the youth straight from the horses' mouths (so to speak). when those needs are recognized and addressed, it is much more effective, and the teens are significantly more invested in the ministry, when they have the responsibility to carry it out, as well. these teenage girls discussed by girleffect.org are no different...
from what i can tell from their website, girl effect is trying to do this. (woohoo) it seems like they are a sort of umbrella funding source for different ngos in different countries, and i'm sure they fall all over the spectrum of how they work with the girls they target.
this site just reminded me how often we/i want to swoop in and save the day, when, really, what i should be doing is putting my type-A, efficiency-driven, let's-make-a-binder-for-this self away for a second. when christmas rolls around, the Church gives me a fruit basket. it's really a nice gesture, but i'm just one person; i can't eat two boxes full of fruit in the week before it goes bad, and, to be honest, i don't even like the grapefruit component. if the amount of money that was spent on the fruit basket was added to my salary, i could probably afford to buy twice as much fruit, and space it throughout the year to better meet my needs.
every time i think of something brilliant to save the world, i can go back a step and think of a bigger problem behind it: i should send a pencil...no don't send a pencil, send a nickel so she can choose her own pencil...no don't send a nickel, buy something she made so she can earn a nickel to buy a pencil...no, don't do that, then she's working and doesn't have time to go to school...maybe i should send that pencil after all...hey, why should i spend $30 to ship some pencils, when that same amount could buy so many more pencils there?...any why can i afford to spend that money, whereas there are people working ridiculously hard and still unable to make a living wage?...where's the invisible hand?...wow this is getting depressing.
i don't have a "do this" answer that would so nicely round out my rant, but i do have some hope. i like to think that people look out for themselves and the people that are close to them; we don't want bad things to happen to the people and places we know and care about. so, as the world gets smaller, it is my hope that we will be concerned with the flourishing of more and different people: not just our siblings, but our facebook friends who live on the other side of the planet. (and that this concern will permeate corporate practices as well)
in the mean time, donate some money.
helmet pig