By Megan Karges | Communications & Development Coordinator
Greetings GlobalGiving & LitWorld Community!
As 2014 comes to an end we are reflecting on some of our favorite stories from the LitWorld movement. We have achieved these milestones thanks to the support of our wonderful community of advocates, partners, local leaders, interns and volunteers. We hope you enjoy these select stories and press pieces and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping our LitClub movement soar.
1. The LitClub members of our first-ever Harlem club graduate high school.
This September, we sent the girls who joined our inaugural New York City LitClub off to college, all of them the first in their families to make such a daring leap into the future. As the girls prepared to say goodbye to their families, one of the mothers whispered to her daughter, “You come from a poor family. Remember that you are going to college to receive an education and return home with something strong in you.”
These girls were born into the harshest conditions in New York City and yet they have been able to overcome life’s obstacles with the crucial support of LitWorld: a circle of LitClub peers, LitWorld mentors who have nurtured their aspirations, and access to resources that have strengthened the power of their own stories and voices. LitWorld's core belief is that where you are born does not determine your success in life. Our teen LitClub graduates own their stories and have used everything they learned in LitClub to shape their futures, to set big goals and to go after their big dreams.
2. The unstoppable Power Women of Kibera
LitWorld's LitClub program serves girls of all ages, from young children to teens to mothers. The Power Women Moms LitClub is a group of HIV positive women who live in the Kibera community of Nairobi. When we met the power women, we started our work together with this question: "What do you want literacy to do for you?" They told us they wanted to be able to teach their children to read, and they wanted to create a website to sell all of their handmade products to become economically independent. Their dreams became a reality. The women manage multiple businesses in Kibera including a daycare, a sewing shop and a hair studio.
3. The launch of story summits on the Day of the Girl.
Our Girls LitClub community mobilized for Stand Up for Girls, LitWorld's day of action in honor of the International Day of the Girl. On October 11th, LitWorld LitClub leaders in 15 countries held Story Summits, local events that bring girls and trained mentors together to share their stories and learn from one another's experiences. The day was full of strength (the LitWorld 7 Strengths to be exact!), much joy, and the power of girls and mentors speaking their true stories confidently and without fear.
Today, tomorrow and every day we must continue to champion every girl's right to live out her story and belong to a safe learning community. LitWorld will continue to create these safe spaces where girls can empower themselves with their own literacy and receive the mentorship and support they need to grow strong as readers, writers and world-changers. Be sure to check out photo highlights from worldwide Stand Up for Girls celebrations on the LitWorld Facebook page.
Together we can make it certain that many more young people will become high school, college and life ready in 2015, so they can “return home with something strong” in them. Thank you for your support. You are an important part of the LitWorld story.
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