Name: Marlee Erdreich
Social Justice Group: Girls Access to Education Globally
Date of Fieldwork: January 4, 2023
Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):The founder of HFC (Her Future Coalition) Sarah Symons
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?
On January 4th, my social justice group sat down and had the opportunity to talk to Sarah Symons about how she engages with girls who may not be able to attend schools. She founded HFC with her husband in 2005 and is devoted to making a difference in places like Nepal and India in order to make sure everyone has a fair chance at learning.
Sarah Symons has traveled outside the country to help girls on sides of railways, involved in domestic problems, and other hardships that make it difficult for girls to go to school. She has also provided shelters for kids who may not have a place to sleep.
I have many takeaways from this interview but a main one is how she helped a girl through the HFC program who eventually graduated and started her own school to help the next generation. I thought that this was important because it shows progress and how Sarah’s organization has grown. Another important part was how she recognizes pathways set for women including early marriage and having babies at a young age. She is not saying these things are bad, she is just very passionate about learning and educating.
Sarah has committed her entire life, quitting her old job entirely, to making a difference in the world. I think that what Sarah wants to achieve is making sure that girls have their own career path and don’t just think that they have to fall into stereotypes made by men. This taught me how dedicated a lot of these activists are and made me think about how I can contribute to the world.
