Girl Rising

Last night, I watched Girl Rising, a documentary about girls in various parts of the world. It was depressing to see that, here in the 21st century, a lot of the world is still treating girls and women very shabbily.

The message was one of education: Educate a girl, and change the world. Education changes everything.

Girl Rising journeys around the globe to witness the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change a girl - and the world. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Selena Gomez and other acclaimed actors contribute voice performances to the film, which features original music from Academy Award winner Rachel Portman and Grammy Award winner Lorne Balfe.

It was a powerful reminder of just how damned lucky I am, on so many levels. And an equally powerful reminder of just how far we have to go. Before Girl Rising aired, Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County was on. One of the factoids at the end of that program was that California's budget crisis caused public education funding to be cut (and two teachers from this school for homeless children were laid off). So even here, in one of the wealthiest and most developed countries on the planet, we still are not properly valuing education.

For more information on when Girl Rising is airing, visit the CNN page.

Visit the Girl Rising website for more information and to donate.