International Day of the Girl: To Give Girls Everywhere What We Want for Our Own Daughters
Posted by Melanne Verveer / October 11, 2012
![Two Indian girls play on a street on International Day of the Girl Child in Hyderabad, India, October 11, 2012. [AP Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121012034935im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1011_day_of_the_girl_child_m.jpg)
About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues.
As the world comes together to mark the first-ever International Day of the Girl on October 11, we are filled with hope, but also a sense of urgency. Just this week, a masked Pakistani Taliban militant attempted to assassinate Malala Yousufzai -- a 14 year-old Pakistani schoolgirl -- on her school bus simply for going to school and speaking up for her right and the right of girls everywhere to get an education. This barbaric act reminds us all too painfully that in far too many places, some still don't value girls and want to ignore their fundamental rights as human beings. What is so inspiring about Malala's story is the outpouring of support she has received from every level of her government and ours, and from Pakistanis of all walks of life. So many people from around the world have stood up to say that she is like their own daughter.
That flood of support for Malala… more »
Supporting Girls and Young Women in Post-Conflict and Humanitarian Settings
Posted by Margaret Pollack / October 11, 2012
![Girl struggles against sand storm in Darfur refugee camp, Sudan, Apr. 20, 2007. [AP File]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121012034935im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0313_darfur_sandstorm_m.jpg)
About the Author: Margaret Pollack serves as Senior Advisor on Population Issues in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
Today, on the first International Day of the Girl Child, it's important to remember some of the most vulnerable girls in the world -- those living in post-conflict or other humanitarian settings. The special vulnerabilities of young women and girls -- to early marriage, unplanned pregnancies, gender-based violence and abuse -- can all be exacerbated when the normal protections of organized societies break down during times of conflict or crisis. Humanitarians have a special responsibility to meet the needs of these girls, and the United States is working with our international and non-governmental organization partners to ensure those most in need of protection are not forgotten.
Our humanitarian assistance -- including the provision of health, shelter, nutrition, and water and sanitation programs -- supports the community, the family, and through this the whole child.… more »
It Starts With One: Alumni, Youth Empowerment, and a Vision for a Better Future
Posted by Jeff Weinshenker / October 11, 2012
![Regional Alumni Enrichment Workshop on Youth Empowerment and Citizen Security in Costa Rica [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121012034935im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1011_costarica_alumni_m.jpg)
About the Author: Jeff Weinshenker serves as a Public Diplomacy Officer in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
It all starts with one. One idea. One individual. One community. And one vision for a better future.
It starts with Juan Pablo in Bolivia teaching at-risk youth how to express themselves through sports and culture, developing their own identity so others won't define it for them.
It starts with Martha in Costa Rica or Yelitza in Panama, who found ways to reach the "unreachable” -- gang members, drug users, and school dropouts in whom others had given up hope.
Sometimes it begins with an idea -- teaching robotics to 10-year-olds in a drug-ravaged community in Costa Rica. Piece by piece, with the support of dedicated adults, these boys and girls learn to construct something bigger -- engines, cars, complex systems -- and along the way, they rebuild themselves and their neighborhoods.
These moments of inspiration exist across… more »
Music Diplomacy: Communicating in a Universal Language
Posted by Ann Stock / October 10, 2012
![Assistant Secretary Ann Stock poses with music exchange program participants in Washington, D.C., October 3, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121012034935im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0910_stock_music_m.jpg)
About the Author: Ann Stock serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
We broke new musical ground with two innovative programs, CenterStage and OneBeat. CenterStage brings performing artists from Haiti, Indonesia and Pakistan to perform in 60 small and mid-sized cities, giving Main Street America a chance to experience international culture without stepping on a plane. Meanwhile, OneBeat brings 32 musicians from 21 countries -- including the United States -- to eight East Coast cities to collaborate and make new music together.
That tradition continues with this year's American Music Abroad, which will send twelve American musical groups to travel abroad to over 40… more »
Looking for “Golden Bears” in Zimbabwe
Posted by Sharon Hudson-Dean / October 09, 2012
![Lin Larson, center, of UC Berkeley, the Deputy School Director at Zengeza High School, and U.S. Embassy Harare Public Affairs Officer Sharon Hudson Dean discuss a scholarship program in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, September 27, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121012034935im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1009_zimbabwe_education_m.jpg)
About the Author: Sharon Hudson-Dean serves as Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.
September 27, 2012, could be the day that forever changed the lives of a group of teenagers from the low-income township of Chitungwiza (population one million) outside of Harare. I hope that date does prove fateful. I'll know it was auspicious if I see Zimbabwean names on the list of the 2017 Berkeley graduating class. If the names are there, I can say I saw the students get their first taste of northern California in a cramped, hot classroom off a dusty road near some of Zimbabwe's stunning balancing rocks and minibus taxi ranks.
At 9:00 a.m. on the 27th, I stood before 250 of the best students from five Chitungwiza public high schools. Next to me was Lin Larson, Senior International Specialist in the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Undergraduate Admissions Office. It was Lin's first visit to Africa, and Zimbabwe was the last stop on her four-country… more »
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