Students Aim to Improve Girls' Access to Education Worldwide | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post, Jamie Smith, is a contributor to ECU News Services.

    Poverty, early marriage and unsafe routes to school are a few of the obstacles preventing more than 60 million girls worldwide from receiving an education.

Michelle Anne Reyes, a member of She’s the First, sells cupcakes and talks with students about the Day of the Girl Summit. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)
    To examine these issues, East Carolina University's chapter of She's the First (STF) will sponsor the Day of the Girl Summit from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 in the Mendenhall Student Center Great Room. The summit will focus on factors impacting access to education for girls. STF is a national organization of 225 campus chapters that provides scholarships and support for girls in low-income countries to attend school and follow them through to graduation.

    "While there are so many issues at hand, I strongly believe that education is the key to creating lasting change. There are currently 62 million girls out of school around the world, and so educating half of the global population should not be viewed as an option," said Keerthana Velappan, a senior and founder of the STF chapter at ECU.


    Velappan said the heart of the summit will be breakout sessions led by community organizations and ECU faculty. The keynote speaker is Mailande Moran, co-founder of Nakta Designs, a rug and interior goods company that works with women in artisan communities in Kyrgyzstan.

    STF at ECU has grown to 40 members who hold an awareness event each semester and raise money to fund scholarships through the national organization. The chapter currently sponsors eight young girls; four in Uganda and four in Nepal who are the first in their families to go to school.

    "In addition to tuition fees, the scholarship covers empowerment programs - mentorships, health, wellness, global awareness and boarding so the girls are at their best both inside and outside the classroom," said Velappan.

    According to UNICEF, girls in lower income countries who receive an education are less likely to marry as children, earn more income for their families and are twice as likely to send their own children to school.


    STF's fall fundraiser, #BakeAChange, started Oct. 19 and continues each Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Nov. 4. The group will be selling tie-dye cupcakes in front of Dowdy Student Store from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on those days.

    The group has been recognized on campus and nationally in the short time the chapter has been active. STF was named Outstanding Student Organization of the Year at ECU in 2016 and the chapter received the Outstanding Achievement in Global Citizenship award at STF's Campus Leadership Summit this summer.

    "What started as a mere idea quickly grew into a movement so much bigger than myself, our board or our chapter. The response has been incredibly encouraging and humbling," said Velappan.

    Students interested in participating in the Day of the Girl Summit can register at dayofthegirlecu.splashthat.com. Participants will enjoy a catered lunch and cultural performances.

Annabel Burton promotes the She’s the First #BakeAChange fundraiser in Wright Plaza. The campus chapter sponsors the education of eight girls in developing countries.
    Those who are unable to attend can follow along on Twitter @stf_ecu, or ECU's Snapchat @OfficialECU.