Empowering Girls

Empowering Girls
By Riana Torrejon

67% of girls that are uneducated believe that domestic violence is justified. One of the most powerful weapons to combat this issue is education. With education comes empowerment for girls to stand on their own. Education changes minds.

Plan International works with girls in communities of impoverished countries to help empower them.

The concert fundraiser “For Girls” is a cause raising money for Plan International’s Because I Am a Girl movement. It will be held on April 7, Saturday, 7 PM, at Sejong Multicultural Centre featuring the “Skyfall Code Band” playing songs to dance the night to. The event not only aims to raise money, but to also raise awareness of the stories that occur everyday around the world which we need to be reminded of. One story can ignite others to strive for change and inspire efforts towards helping one another.

One of the stories which I can never erase from my memory and from my heart is what happened to a young girl who was my nanny in the Philippines. Her father tried to arrange a marriage for her in exchange for a sack of rice, but she had lived in the city with us and understood she had options, so she refused and fled to freedom. However, her father and brother were murdered as a result.

Stories like these are all too common, but outside the realm of the Canadian experience, and I aim to share them. Nothing truly separated me from her except the circumstances in which we were born.

Please, join us in working to end gender inequality and promote girls’ rights. With Valentine’s Day in mind, love shines hope in the darkest of times, so let us give that to our girls in need, starting with your ticket to this event.

About the Author:
Riana Torrejon is a twelfth-grade student at Archbishop MacDonald High School who is passionate about human rights. Her future hope is to see a world in which all are provided wth welfare and feel safe enough to pursue their dreams. To purchase tickets, contact her at (587) 990-7818 or email torrejonriana@gmail.com

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