Thursday, May 30, 2013

Aidmatrix Staff attends CARE’s annual conference and Ft. Worth viewing of Girl Rising



March 2013 - Aidmatrix's Melis Jones and Charlotte Medley attended CARE’s 2013 national conference in Washington, DC, March 5-8.  The conference kicked off Tuesday evening with a diplomatic reception at the French Embassy at which CARE screened a portion of the documentary film Girl Rising. Girl Rising showcases the stories of nine girls across the globe from Peru to Nepal who have fought to get an education despite the extreme poverty they faced. CARE has partnered with the film’s producers to bring these young girls’ stories to the big screen and audiences across the US.
 

Over the next two days we were members of the Texas group participating and lobbying on Capitol Hill in support of two CARE initiatives – 1) maintaining the Foreign Aid budget at the current level and 2) implementing a Gender-Based Violence Strategy already released the summer of 2012. 

Education is another key women’s initiative for our partner, CARE. The portion of Girl Rising we viewed ignited a desire in us to attend a local screening, which happened Tuesday, April 22 on the Texas Christian University campus in Ft. Worth. The screening also provided us a reunion with Karen Kelly, Sally McCracken, and Margaret Augustat, members of the Texas delegation in Washington.
 

The movie powerfully illustrates the challenges and dangers young girls face world-wide and the empowerment education can provide. Each girl was paired with a writer in her country, seven of the nine girls re-enacted their stories; voices such as Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, and Anne Hathaway narrated the film.

If interested in attending a screening, google: Girl Rising for showings in your local area. You can also learn more about the film and view a trailer.