Seattle, Wash., Oct. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GreaterGood.org’s Girls’ Voices program celebrates International Day of the Girl, and brings attention to the 130 million girls worldwide that don’t have access to education, with an announcement of the 2019 Girls' Voices for Change Contest winners. Girl’s Voices for Change is a global storytelling challenge that ask young women (ages 13-21) to share their education barriers, their stories of triumph, their creativity, and their ideas for change through digital media.
“Girls across the globe face unique obstacles - from being denied an education, to discrimination, to physical endangerment, to feeling afraid to express themselves,” said Patricia Cogley, director of Girls’ Voices. “The goal of Girls’ Voices for Change is for girls to creatively share their vision of a world where girls feel safe to express themselves and are encouraged to pursue their education and their dreams.”
The winning entries were selected from a pool of hundreds of expressive digital stories created by talented young women, from 20 countries. Topics ranged from childhood marriage, combating climate change, refugee education, to online harassment. The winners receive scholarships and grant funding to implement community projects or pursue their education. Over $30,000 in grants and scholarships are awarded to girls who participate in the contest.
The following is a list of select winners receiving scholarships from Girls’ Voices for Change who will now be able pursue an education.
My Story Award
“Sophia Rising” by Sophie Eliza from Maralal Kenya, age 19 - Created in partnership with Global Girl Media, BRAVE South Africa, and Samburu Girls’ Foundation. This moving story shows a girl begging her father for an education, and against all odds, escapes child marriage to go on to be the first person in her Samburu family to go to university.
Changemaker Award
“Restavek” by Ruthloveny Jean, from Savanne Longue Haiti, 16 years old. - Created in partnership with Summits Education. “Restavek” refers to children in Haiti who endure domestic servitude, many of whom don’t attend school, and a majority of whom are girls. This video follows Farrah, who is 8 years old and lives and works to help her godmother, and how her education is the only way out of her circumstance.
Style and Culture Award
Hair by Berlanda Boniface, from Savanne Longue Haiti, age 15. - Created in partnership with Summits Education. Berlanda's relationship with her mom is a bond created through the time they do hair together. She loves when her mom does different hairstyles for different times of the year for her: boulgogo for school, chou for church, and braids during summer vacation.
To view a complete list of winning entries visit: girlsvoicesforchange.org
More than 60,000 votes from the public were cast to help select the winners and the panel of female powerhouse judges for Girls Voices for Change include journalist Laura Ling, Tejaswini Marathe, head developer of Alexa at Amazon, Lisa Quintana and Cristina Esteras from Netflix Latin America and Teen Wolf actor Victoria Moroles.
In addition to the winners receiving scholarship prizes each of the 250 participating girls will receive a seed scholarship toward their education. By participating in the program girls gain confidence and receive ongoing support through GreaterGood.org’s scholarship program.
About Girls’ Voices
Girls’ Voices is a media training and scholarship program for girls who face obstacles to their education. Through digital media training, Girls’ Voices empowers girls around the world to learn how to tell their own stories through film and lead the charge in the fight for education. Active in 20 countries, Girls’ Voices has over 600 scholars.
Currently, more than 130 million girls are not in school. This is the direct result of cultural, social, and economic barriers that stand in the way of girls who want to learn. Supporting adolescent girls’ education in particular can have significant effects in transforming not only one girl’s life, but her community’s as well. The Girls’ Voices program addresses these barriers and showcases the stories of trailblazing girls who are fighting for their education.
About GreaterGood.org
GreaterGood.org is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that works to improve the health and well-being of people, pets, and the planet. Over the last 12 years, GreaterGood.org has given over $250 million in cash and in-kind grants to over 3,000 charitable partners worldwide. To learn more, visit GreaterGood.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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