Wednesday 19 September 2012

Education, the world, etc.

I  have just finished  taking part in a Chat with some really good organizations. 

I was amazing to get a chance to talk with people about women's education.  This is a special thing on my heart. When I was in India I spent time volunteering in the schools, nursery and a special school for children and women with special needs.  It was great to see how they are moving forward despite the struggles that they have had.  It was hard to see though that sometimes it was the girls who had the most troubled academically  came from the most troubling backgrounds. It's sad, and show's how the environment impacts the world around us. It's really a cycle if  women are educated they can get better jobs and not only help raise their children in less poverty but they can also get jobs in government and change government policy. 63% of the people who are illiterate are women, there is still inequality in the world but the issue is getting better, we are seeing improvement. 


One day I hope that I can get a job where I can help people, I feel really comfortable in other cultures and would love to work overseas and help people in some way. I don't know how this is going to work out. I'm in the process of applying for my MSW, and had some disappointments along the way but I'm not going to give up.  If I don't get in I will try again. 

Someone said to me today that "the world needs you", and I hope someday to make an impact in people's lives even if it's just by the small stuff, a smile , doing a puzzle with a special needs child, teaching english, helping a child with there homework, talking to a friend who is in distress,  giving someone in India paper , pencils and a sharpener. Sometimes it's the small stuff that make a difference.  

I don't know what God has planned for the rest of my life but I'm trusting in him to give me the direction. I will take it one step at a time, help one person at a time. 

I think if I could do anything in the world, I would be in India helping special needs children.
I find that sometimes the people that society rejects, are the most precious people in the world. No matter who you are , what you've done, what disability you have, there is something special about you, something unique something you can give to the world. 

Last night I watched a movie called Phoenix Dance, http://www.karinafilms.us/phoenix/phoenix_articles.html. It was an amazing story about a man with cancer who lost his leg and is a dancer, he is able to do stuff that I could never dream of doing.  People with disabilities are special and can teach you a lot of stuff.  It's when hard times come and we get through it that we are able to move on and fight and then help other people get through similar situations.  I think it takes someone who has experienced hardship of any kind to truly be able to empathize with other people.   Though I might not understand what it is to be in poverty, I do understand how it feels to feel worthless and like I'm not good enough, that I will never succeed.  I might not understand everything that people have gone through but I can sympathize with their feelings. I can celebrate with their triumphs, listen to them in their heartache. 

Well I better go do homework. I would love to type all day about changing the world , and talk to people about how they are making an impact, but education is important too.