Chapter Ten-- Investing in Education

Chapter Ten-- Investing in Education

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."-- Derek Bok

Retrieved from Google Images  

What better way to celebrate the middle of the week than a two hour discussion on Half the Sky? Written by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheyrl WuDunn, Half the Sky focuses on "turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide." This week's chapter was on investing in education, a solution that has become very pertinent in our weekly discussions. 

Class began with a brief discussion about what education means to us. Most answers were focused around the act of learning and gaining knowledge.

Our first activity was a "Life in the Village" Simulation organized by USAID (United States Agency for International Agriculture Development). The goal of the simulation was to get an idea about the difficulties people in developing nations face. We broke into small groups, now classified as "households," and were given a a spreadsheet of incomes and expenses, as well as "rules" each family must obey. The task is to simulate four years of financial decision making while enduring unexpected events, thus emulating real life. Below is the spreadsheet full of family information, income, and expenses.

After calculating each year, we reconvened and discussed what we had chosen to do. Some years curve-balls were thrown at families. For example, one family had an unexpected death in the family and had to pay for funeral services which completely wiped out their total savings. Other families were obliged to give money to their cousins if needed, which meant that one could be obliged to pay for his/her nieces and nephews to go to school, thus leaving no money to pay for his/her's own children's education. That really amazed me. That in some countries, family ties are so strong that one could jeopardize his/her own family because of having to pay that stipend. 

 If money was limited one year, households chose to only send one or two (out of three) of their children to school. It wasn't a surprise that most families kept at least one child in school, because we have been focusing on the power education has on communities. However, I did this simulation in my International Agriculture Development class  and every time money was tight, education was the first expense to be cut. When the majority of students (or people in a real world situation) do not understand how important education is, it does not become a priority. I think the decision for cutting education and it's expenses, as done in the International Agriculture Development class, depicts real life situations worldwide. While I fully believe that education is the key to solving all world injustices, how does a family sacrifice buying food to send their children to school? How is a father supposed to justify letting his family go hungry, just so his children can get an education? While my answer to my own question would to be create free education worldwide, that goes off into a whole other topic and creates a much larger discussion. 

Retrieved from Google Images

Going back to the simulation, I really enjoyed it because it gave us an insight to how families around the world have to manage their finances. It painted a bigger picture about struggles  people face. There is a Native American proverb that says, "Don't judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins." It is one thing to sit around and discuss how education is important and should be implemented everywhere, but it is a completely different thing to be in the situation where one must choose to get an education, or let their family starve. As far as I'm concerned(and my apologies if I am incorrect), none of us have ever had to endure this.

To relate education back to us locally, we quickly discussed the poverty line in the United States. Even with public education, education is expensive and most families are just barely getting by. To learn more about poverty relating to education in the US, check out this link:  http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/07/12/poverty-rate-still-high-among-us-children-report

We then shifted gears and watched a video titled, Class Dismissed, The Death of Female Education (posted below). It focuses on Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani student and education activist. At the age of 11 years old she wrote a blog about her life under the Taliban rule. She began doing interviews and was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize. Of course this heavily displeased the Taliban and on Monday October 9, 2012 Malala was shot while she was in a school bus on her way to school. She survived the shooting and has gone on to create a petition, using the slogan "I am Malala" demanding that by the end of 2015 all children worldwide must be in school. Malala has won many awards, and in April 2013 she was featured on the front cover of Time magazine as one of "The 100 Most Influential People in the World." Mahatma Ghandi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." To say Malala Yousafzai is an inspiration would be an understatement. Through all of her struggles and battles she has had to overcome, she is still pushing to change the world. 

Key points and incredible facts from the video:

• "Schools are not places of learning, but places of fear and violence." --Anonymous student.
• "There are people who want to stop educating girls through guns." -- Sahudin Yousafzai
• Schools for girls in Swat Valley are under attack by the Taliban.
• Boys schools remain open, but more than 200 girls schools have been blown up by the Taliban.

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After we learn about something going on oversees, we try and relate it back to the United States and then more locally to our UC Davis campus and/or hometowns. We continued the discussion by watching a TEDTalk called How to Escape Education's Death Valley by Sir Ken Robinson. Sir Ken Robinson is an English author, speaker and adviser on education. Originally born in Liverpool, he now lives in Los Angeles. Robinson believes that creativity must be integrated into education. In the video below, Robinson describes three principles that are needed for the human mind to flourish. While Robinson is very accredited, he is also a great comedian! I encourage you all to check out his video

Main points from Robinson's speech:

• Robinson suggests that education has three pillars:
• 1. Diversity, Schools should offer a broad curriculum and encourage individualization, because all children are different.
• 2. Curiosity, All humans are curious, and it is "the engine" of achievement
• 3. Creativity, There should be less emphasis on standardized testing and more emphasis on alternative learning techniques and processes
• "No Child Left Behind Act" is ironic because it is leaving millions of children behind.
• Education under "No Child Left Behind" is based on conformity
• America spends money on education, but in the wrong direction
• Within the American culture it has been a trend to de-professionalize teachers
• Dominant culture of education has come to focus on testing. Emphasis  on standardize tests needs to be lowered, (which is not to say that they should be completely gone).
• Testing should support learning, not obstruct it.

As said many times throughout the book, education is the key to solving all world problems. As humans we should strive to create equal and free access to education systems around the world. As Nelson Mandela once said,"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

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To finally conclude class, we came to a decision about our group project. After being blown away by this book, and considering that there is a "What You Can Do" chapter, our class decided that we wanted to get involved and do something. We have decided to raise money for Camfed, a British based NGO that is dedicated to eliminating poverty in Africa through the empowerment and education of girls and young women. Our class goal is to raise $100, enough for a few girls to get an education. If you would like to make a donation or find out more about Camfed check out the link below! 
https://camfed.org/donate/personal-fundraising/218-uc-davis-first-year-seminar-half-the-sky/

Chapter 9

Is Islam Misogynistic?

"A majority of the dwellers of hell will be women, who curse too much and are ungrateful to their spouses."--Muhammad Imran, Ideal Woman in Islam

Today we began class by, not attempting to directly answer the question italicized directly beneath the chapter number, but by analyzing smaller pieces of the whole. What I find to be one of the most controversial topics when speaking about Islamic traditions, and I'm sure many other people do as well, is the question of whether or not women are forced by Islamic religion to wear a Hijab/Niqab, and if they do, for what reasons exactly are they supposed to? Is it to spare men from lustful thoughts by the women hiding most of their bodies except for their eyes or face? And if it is, why aren't men under the same pressure to conceal their physique to protect them from the lustful thoughts of women? Or if not lustful thoughts, just protection from the judgement of character based off of appearances? The discussion leader showed a very enlightening video clip that allowed us to listen at Muslim women attempting to answer those very questions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXzUuKdfnRE

Next, we moved on to the bigger picture; a look at whether or not women truly are oppressed by the word of Allah spoken in the Qua-ran, and is it our place to judge? With current Islamic states in what we view as a constant state of turmoil, it seems to me that the Islamic faith, and those who practice it, are given a bad rap, at least by a lot of westerners. The real question here, is whether or not these Islamic states are oppressive towards women because that's what the Qua-ran says, or because that is their abstract interpretation of it. The class discussion leader then showed us a video of a converted British women speaking on behalf of Muslim women, and another Muslim woman who grew up in one of these Islamic states, witnessing first hand the kinds of laws created based off of the religion. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP2FsLrraxE

After the video we discussed whether or not it was our place to judge the Islamic faith, based off of just a few of the radical events we've witnessed, and I think the general consensus the class came to was that, while we have no right to judge and draw conclusions, it's often hard not to. Relating to this though, the question was brought up on whether or not Western society places just as much pressure on women and there appearances--surgical enhancements, weight-loss medications, makeup, etc. So who's to say we're not the oppressive ones? 

These issues are not irrelevant to our everyday lives. What happens in those Islamic states, and what  Muslim radicals do, directly affects the lives of Muslims here in the United States, many who are just trying to live normal lives and practice their religion in peace. It's important that we educate ourselves on what Islamic religion means to them, and not patronize their practices with a pretentious mindset in an attempt to "liberate" them. Below is a link for a CNN article about an Islamic American teenager who chooses to wear a hijab, and what its affects are on her lifestyle, and what it means to her. 

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/12/generation.islam.hijab/index.html?eref=time_world

Ch.8 Family planning and the "god gulf"/ Jane Roberts and her 34 million friends

We started off looking at "God gulf" and it's presence in the American political system. Presidents have a number of policies that they, themselves decide to keep, expand, get rid of, or diminish. The biggest contradictory policy that Americans have strong feelings about, is abortion and sex trafficking. America likes to flip on the amount of foreign aid goes to a country based on their approach to abortion and prostitution. It is a sad scenario, but it's happened many times where America implements the "gag rule", simply because the country has a large number of abortion programs. It is my opinion that these policies be locked in more clearly. It is unfair to a country budgeting on foreign aid, to have it taken away by the word of one person. Foreign aid should be a majority vote and should hold true no matter what any one individual has to say on the matter.

Just to demonstrate how much financial aid comes out of our tax dollars: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/apr/13/barack-obama/barack-obama-says-foreign-aid-makes-1-percent-us-b/

We went on to discuss the UNFPA, which works to promote family planning, maternal health, and newborn survival. Its a program born from the human rights arm of the United nations. We briefly discussed the how it operates, and its influence on maternal related issues in different countries. We talked about its role in encouraging China to implement its one child policy, and the female discrimination that has indirectly stemmed from the policy. It's a tough situation to mediate, but it's true that 60% of the world resides in southeast Asia, which leads to a number of over population problems. In my opinion, if the government is gonna tell you how many kids you can have they should just go full force and regulate the sexes that come out of each family. It's kinda despicable to see such a large population and they still have huge discriminatory abortion rates.

some despicable statistics on the direct and indirect discrimination against women http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-rights/statistics-on-discrimination/statistics-on-discrimination-of-women/

We also discussed sex education and its place in different cultures and communities around the world. The class decided it wasn't fair to force an ideology on a specific culture, but we felt it was important that all information and resources are available to the group, so at least they can educate themselves and decide what else they would like to apply. The fact that religion interfered with peoples ability to learn about sex ed, female circumcision, and the reality of virginity, is kind of sickening. I understand the importance of values and traditions, but when it hurts and stigmatizes their women in the name of god, it's upsetting to see. Parents in these communities should be educated on the importance of positively rearing a child to increase their chances of success throughout their lives.

"We're even getting donations from college students and high school students. You can take a stand for the women of the world for just the price of a soda" -Jane Roberts (pg. 148)

This quote stood out to me, due to the huge impact brought on by a single woman's message. Jane Roberts took a stand against the most powerful man on the planet at the time, George w. Bush. Not only did she rally the 34 million donors she was looking to achieve, but she raised more than the initial amount of foreign aid that was going to be sent. By withholding those funds and taking a stand against UNFPA for its connection to abortion programs, Mr. Bush actually increased awareness and funding for the opposition. Mrs. Roberts perfectly resembles what a true leader is capable of doing when they put their mind to it.

Chapter 7 Maternal Mortality and Edna's Hospital

"You are the pioneers." -Edna Adan to her graduating class of midwives

Class discussion commenced with a video clip from the documentary Half the Sky, which follows Nicolas Kristof on his journey to some of the countries he writes about in the New York Times and the novel, Half the Sky. The particular clip from the movie we watched chronicled Kristof in Somaliland accompanied by actress Diane Lane. The two visit Edna Adan and the hospital she founded to combat maternal mortality in a country that is not even recognized by the rest of the world.

Edna Adan grew up in Somaliland and was the first girl from her country to win a scholarship  to study in Britain. When Edna was eight years old her mother forced her to undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Edna's father returned from out of town livid the practice was performed on his daughter. Edna realized that if her father, an educated doctor, denounced FGM then surely what happened to her was wrong. A father's love influenced Edna Adan to become a voice for victims of FGM. Edna  provided astonishing insight into FGM which is a practice that 3 million African girls are forced to undergo every year. The trauma their bodies experience during the process leaves a lasting impact on the reproductive organs, therefore leading to an increase in the number of childbirth deaths. A question brought up in class asked us to consider ways to stop the practice if acting with U.N. power. A student pointed out that the foot binding process was eradicated in China once people realized some of the negative effects which occurred later in life. Those in areas where FGM is occurring need to grasp that FGM leads to long lasting impacts and increases the chances of maternal mortality. Educating communities that view FGM as status quo is a necessary step to eliminate the horrendous act. 

Here is a link to the website for Edna's hospital to learn more:

http://www.ednahospital.org/ 

The class also discussed the varying reasons why FGM occurs and observed from the film three main reasons: tradition, religion, and money. Edna explained that Islam does not encourage FGM and that the practice is a matter of tradition. Though this point is valid, a student noticed that the local woman that Diane Lane and Kristof talked with said she would prohibit her son from marrying an uncircumcised girl because of God. Another perspective was brought to light when the pair met with a woman who performs FGM for a living. Both Lane and Kristofs’ jaws dropped as the woman told them she performs over 10 FGMs per day. Lane inquired further into the woman’s financial motive and realized the woman would not perform FGMs if she could make her money another way.

I would highly recommend taking a look at this link to an article from the U.N. which was posted the day after our last discussion. The site includes an interactive map where you can choose a country and learn about the prevalence of FGM in that country, the number of religious leaders who have denounced the practice, and whether any laws exist there prohibiting FGM.  http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp/www.wmo.int/story.asp?NewsID=47092&Cr=genital&Cr1= 

Chapter Seven also followed the story of Prudence, a young women in Cameroon who died after being taken to a hospital for childbirth complications. The doctors were not compelled to help her and Prudence’s husband was educated enough to notice the injustice occurring. As a class, we discussed that if Prudence had been male, her family would likely have made more of an effort to find the funds to get her to a hospital sooner. A classmate pointed out that a relative of Prudence’s used a cell phone, implying that the family possibly had more money for the surgery than they let on. The tale of Prudence is one that happens every minute all over the world. A woman is not just dying because of childbirth, she is dying because she is a woman.

“Giving birth should be your greatest achievement not your greatest fear.” ~ Jane Weideman 

Chapter 5 Understanding Historical Oppression

Chapter 5 of Half the Sky explores how "honor" is seen different for women. Throughout the chapter, women had standards that they all must follow in order to be treated fair. The standards on these women objectify their physical looks in relations to their purity. They were shamed in the utmost dehumanizing ways if they had lost their virginity before marriage. Women became targets to shame clan. Du'a Aswad was a seventeen year old teenager who lived in Congo. When her husband found that she was not a virgin, he demanded for a honor killing. If a women cannot hold their purity, the only honor for them would be death. People develop "codes of sexual honor" that are suppose to help women but instead women are systematically dishonored.

In class, we watched some videos, discussed US/foreign involvement, and dialogues about the chapters. When I was reading the chapter after the presentation in class, it made me wonder how these systems of sexism were formed. I wanted to know more about the historical context, especially with foreign country involvement. What I mean is that in the novel Congo is famously known for sexual violence. Did colonization play role in developing systems of sexism because Africa was heavily colonized and abused by European countries. And if colonization did play a role, how does Europe take into accountability for the sexual violence that exist in Africa? What would make this book better if they could give the reader brief historical context of how sexual violence was implemented into systems instead of saying it is because of religion or culture. In order to understand sexual violence, an understanding of its root causes and history will help.

Written by Kevin Vang

Chapter 6 -Maternal Mortality, One Woman a Minute

The discussion of Chapters 5 and 6 began with a video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS3VDKI9Hg0&app=desktop#!

Then the class continued with an activity, where each classmate wrote down one positive thing that they experienced or witnessed men do, followed by one negative thing, some classmates shared what they wrote down and it was briefly discussed in class. Positive things were actions such as "opening/holding doors for women" and negative things were doings such as "overpowering women". Each classmate that shared out loud or participated in discussion received a piece of candy as a reward. This activity was done in order to educate others to be cautious instead of paranoid when it came to men, as well as teaching that men are not bad. There was another video showed following the activity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgbCQMw5LOM

After the video, the class numbered off by 1's and 2's, 1's discussed why the US should get involved in stopping practices such as honor killings, and 2's discussed why the US shouldn't get involved in stopping honor killings. After the discussion, the two sides had a debate about the issues. After the discussion of the issue was complete, questions about the chapter were asked.

"After seven days, Mahabouba fell unconscious, and at that point someone summoned a birth attendant. By then the baby had been wedged in there for so long that the tissues between the baby's head and Mahabouba's pelvis had lost circulation and rotted away. When Mahabouba recovered consciousness, she found out that the baby was dead and she had no control over her bladder or bowels. She also couldn't walk or even stand, a consequence of never damage that is a frequent by-product of fistula." (p. 94)
The class discussed whether the students knew what fistulas were prior to taking the course, the entire class answered "no" to the question and the discussion of why there weren't programs for it began.
Some students mentioned how if fistulas happened to men, there would be more funds for the issue. Majority of the class agreed.

"She's helpless, she's voiceless . . . the reason these women are pariahs is because they are women. If this happened to men, we would have foundations and supplies coming in from all over the world." (p. 97)
After the quote, the class discussed everyone's views as to why there aren't more foundations to help women with fistulas, and how societies view women as lesser.

"Conservatives battle forced abortions in China, and liberals fight passionately for abortion rights in foreign lands. But meeting the challenge of women dying in childbirth had never had much of a constituency." (p. 98)
The class discussed how both political parties are missing actual risks, such as women's health during pregnancy.
At the end we discussed how US has a low mortality at birth rate.

Chapter 6 discussed how hazardous giving birth in 3rd world countries is, and how we can lower mortality rate abroad.

My name is Leah Silkina and I hope everyone had a great weekend!

PS. Here are some links to volunteer and help abroad!
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Travel/Volunteer_Work_9979.html

http://www.projects-abroad.org/volunteer-projects/medicine-and-healthcare/medicine/

http://www.travellersworldwide.com/

http://guides.lib.unc.edu/content.php?pid=133526&sid=1148466

http://www.volunteerinternational.org/resources.html "