The 118

Enter the elevator. I am here waiting....like a creep.

Excuse me.  If you had to decide who in the world would save it, who would it be?

Reply...hmm a superhero...my precocious daughter...definitely not Obama, he had his shot...not the UN...Morgan Freeman?...that's a weird question with my 9am coffee...

Well I have an idea who it might be.  See, in my spare time I follow the field of global health and development.  In essence, I study the best way to help.  You know, the first rule of thumb in medicine is, "Do no Harm."  Well, the same goes for public health and development.  So often, people from the western world go into communities to try and be a superhero, but they can really only go so far.  Even when we study the best methods for helping, there usually comes a roadblock at some point. If you think about our heroes, they are  generally ordinary people doing the extraordinary in their communities.  I think the best way for communities around the world to really come out of poverty are to have more leaders come out of their own communities.  Are you following me?

"Sure, I see what you're saying."

Okay, but here's where I get a little more specific.  New leaders can't be just anyone. Right?

"Sure."

The leader has to be a girl, and not any girl.  It has to be a girl who is educated, knows what she's worth and makes her community realize her worth as well.  It's a tough thing to sell in communities that traditionally oppress women, but already there has been some major strides in communities in Nepal, India and all throughout Africa.  It's been said the realization of women's equality is the moral issue of our time.  We know that when you educate a woman, you educate - at minimum - the rest of a family, but also entire communities and even nations.

"Okay, that sounds pretty cool."

So, here's my idea.  Because we know that investing in women and girls has huge economic implications for countries, I am starting a higher education scholarship fund for girls in the Lower Everest region of Nepal.  The scholarship is available to the forty most talented girls in the region who are currently attending high school and live in a hostel I helped build this past summer.  At the hostel, they have leadership training, vocational workshops and English lessons.  My dream is to grow this fund into an opportunity for one of these talented girls to continue her education at the University level.  Currently, I'm working on the application process.  Maybe even one day, the girl will become a physician like me and return to her community and show the world what can be done if you give a girl a shot.

So, what do you think?  You seem like you're pretty good at ... (insert personalized compliment here such as making money).

Well, I'm pretty good at creating social change around me. Want to help?

Special shout-out to Val for donating to the cause!