Name: Iris Edelstein

Social Justice Group: 2022-2023, Girls Access to Education Globally

Date of Fieldwork: February 15, 2023

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Women’s Education Project

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?:

We interviewed Zoe Timms, the founder of Women’s Educations Project. She started the organization after traveling to India on a school year abroad, and seeing that some people there did not have very basic resources, and she wanted to do something to change that. She told us about her organization , and how they helped many girls around the world by funding grassroots organizations. WEP does not go into countries personally but instead help fund people who start up school and homes there for girls so that they can learn with people who they are familiar with. To fully immerse and remain humble in India, Zoe said that she worked tor learn the language and she wore the clothes of the local area to stay low-key. She shared a story about how when she used to be teaching outside under a tree, she sent the girls off to karate class, but one girl was left behind. She encouraged her to go to her class, but the girl told her that she had polio and the class was too painful to complete. The next week, Zoe was teaching again and the girls came from their class, and the girl was among them, proclaiming happily that she had completed the class. This shows there amazing dedication to their education and how even through the toughest of times, the girls are able to persevere.