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eve ensler
December 2008 
About the Girl Effect
Posted on Sep 24th, 2008
by 
doolang
doolang
I got a letter from Siona today. I'm sure you all did.
It opened me again to the overshadowed, overlooked, underutilized role women play in our lives--in ALL our lives. To their credit they continue to do their part even when I, a man, would have walked away long ago. I don't pretend to understand it, but i recognize its value in our continued survival. I want to pay tribute to the miracle in our midst and draw attention to some gorgeous-beautiful souls in the process:
I Dare You
WOW! My heart overflows with love for every amazing girl in this short film and I hope to one day have my world changed by you. You are beautiful. You are amazing. You are what we are missing globally. I pray you are the future....................
What is the #1 cause of death among young women?
I was stunned to learn what the leading cause of death is among young women worldwide. I'm sure you will be too when you watch the video.
Eve Ensler, passionate author of The Vagina Monologues recently talked about the fate/progress/horror/hope/achievement/pain/glory of women worldwide in two separate talks equally amazing, the first concerns the Vagina Monologues, the second is concerned with security and where our quest for security has driven us and where it actually lies. I have to commend her for her support of those delivering many young women from the barbarity that awaits them in their worlds.
Eve, in the second talk, also rightly recognizes women as the primary resource of this planet: the source from which all life springs.
Forced into Marriage and Illiteracy, Escapes
Another amazing story of a young woman finding a way to be herself in a world determined to keep her from it. I hope this chapter in our unglamorous history is near its end.
Serendipitously I also received another progress affirming mess of statistics from Rob Brezny author of Pronoia, in his happy little newletter:
GENDER REVOLUTION LEGALIZED
Sweden has been a pioneer in bringing gender balance into government.
Forty-five percent of its parliament is female.
Other nations have finally begun to follow its lead. In 2003, the Welsh
assembly became the first legislative body in history to have as many
women as men. Meanwhile, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, the
Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Costa Rica, South Africa, and
Mozambique have at least 30 percent of their parliamentary seats filled
by women, largely due to legally mandated quotas.
Rwanda's new constitution calls for 30 percent of decision-making
positions to be held by women. In the parliamentary elections of 2003,
that quota was exceeded, as women captured 49 percent of the
legislative seats.
The corporate domain is proceeding toward equality more slowly. Norway
is the first and only nation to pass laws mandating female representation
on corporate boards, requiring a 40 percent quota.
The Girl Effect
So join me in celebrating/encouraging/embracing/fostering/enjoining/imparting/extending/delighting and taking immense joy in the Girl Effect!
Soon I hope the day is soon, when we can all see eye to eye, heart to heart, soul to soul..........
oh, and for clarification, in no way is this an endorsement for Sarah Palin, who would and perhaps is, setting the women's movement back a few decades at least....for more on Sarah Palin see Eve Ensler's Article 'Drill! Drlll! Drill!' posted on JoyBringer's blog.
Access: Public
How can we not join you in such a worthy cause? Esp.incelebrating/encouraging/embracing/fostering/enjoining/imparting/extending/delighting and taking immense joy in the Girl Effect! :)
I continued the ripple by blogging and interlinking with this and more.There is a great short video called Gapminder that clarifies and shows very clearly what is the connection b/n girls, children, women, health, money and global economy and prosperity that is really an eye-opening talk from Hans Rosling about the leading cause of death among young women which happens to be PREGNANCY! (Maternal Mortality worldwide stats presented like never before)
For more heart wrenching details and statistics about this important issue there is also a free report Girls Count. A Global Investment & Action Agendaand of course the One Laptop Per Child initiative and organization - laptop.org
Oh Gosh.
Thank You Thank You Thank You
I Love You I Love You I Love You!!!!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
Oppression of Girls/Women is the dumbest thing Mankind has ever done.
Truly we are the solution.
I will link you in my status and promote this blog.
Much Much Love, Respect and Admiration!~~~<3
This is amazing. Goodness. I can't thank you enough.
Blagodaria, Darina! It is so incredibly wonderful that people are focusing in on the global status of girls so much that the information is becoming broadly available. And with the growth of the internet the data is no longer lost in the middle of a long-winded UN tome, but is presented with style, artistry, simplicity in such a way as to be easily communicated and understood. Best of all these presentations, videos, whatever you call them, were made with inexpensive tools readily available to the bulk of the population on the planet.
Thank You, Ariela! I LOVE U 2! You always have the greatest icons! IMAGINE! How appropo. I think a world strongly influenced by women is what John was imagining….Imagine what we could do together, heart to heart…..
Thank you, Siona. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. May the world never be the same again…..
this is amazing… It's a sad feeling to know that in the other side of our world, this is happening on a daily basis. To wake up in fear, poverty and oppression.. to be a girl and be stripped off of your dreams is simply barbaric and heart wrenching.
The Girl Effect should send ripples to everyone's heart.
I am on my knees, I am banging my fists against the floor rising up howling into the skies, covered with tears flaming with rage!!!!!!!!
And then the storm passes…, and I quiet back down into the knowing of who I really am. And I begin to dream…to pray, call forth, imagine, desire, know KNOW how this ripple effect is going to be caught by other loving hands and hearts, yesyesyes, thrown up into the vast heavens, and from there soaring rising higher faster wilder…than our sweetest tenderest most precious dreams. And so shall it be! YES!!
All that is Not-good is done out of fear, an illusion, a separation from truth. The universe we live in springs forth from love, ever-expanding joyous knock-your-socks-off LOVE. May the ripples of the Girl Effect soar ever wider and higher and faster and purer. WOW.
Knocked my socks off, willow! Go Girl Effect! Thanks Liza. I'm glad to have connected with you both.
It is good to see Girl's Ranking high in the UN's Millenium Development Goals.
1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education
3. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
4. Reduce Child Mortality
5. Improve Maternal Health
6. Combat HIV, Malaria and other Diseases
7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability
8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development
It's easy to see that 2-5 are directly concerned with girls, and some progress is being made since these goals were established in 2000. There is a long ways to go and no certain route has been established…yet…………
I've been reading about The Bottom Billion, in a book of the same name. The more I read the more i see that the Bottom is really just a reflection of the Top. We share a common depravity. The Bottom Billion just lack the PR machine to cover it up. What's wrong with our countries and communities is pretty much what is wrong with theirs. What to do….what to do….
What i mean is, it's hard to fix problems at the neighbors which you are pretending don't exist at home.
Have you seen the video In My Name made as enforcement, support and follow up to these goals?
Yes, thank you Ariela. I loved it. Wonderful post. I love seeing all this attention focused on the right areas. I watched it again just now.