On the morning of February 28th we zoomed with the student at Aarti Home in Andhra Pradesh, India. We had started planning this zoom a few weeks earlier while talking to Zoe Timms. She prepared us by telling us questions to ask and what we should wear for example we had to wear long sleeves and clothes to cover our chests, she also suggested we wear nice jewelry. We started the meeting off by introducing ourselves, the girls were very excited to talk to us and we were eager to talk to them. They decided to make dosa which is a popular South Indian food made with fermented batter from black lentils and rice. It was very interesting to see them make this meal for us. We then showed them how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After we had finished eating we started to talk to the girls, they asked us many questions like our hobbies. When we expressed that we liked dancing they jumped up and decided to show us their dance, we were very impressed. They then asked if we had any dances to show them, the only thing we could think of was the Macarena.

We continued talking for quite a while and we learned a lot about the girls and vice versa. This experience was really eye opening and inspiring to me, I learned how many things we have in common even though they live in a completely different area and situation than me. It was also so interesting learning about their aspirations like how they wanted to become engineers, doctors and artists.

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This Tuesday, we were all lucky enough to meet with girls from the Aarti home, a girls home in Andra Paresh, India that was both a home for some girls and a school, that focused on girls who were not able to access education in their own communities, were living in unstable or unsafe conditions at home, were orphaned or had only one parent who they were unable to rely on, or other reasons that could affect their home life or their education. We were very excited to meet with these girls in an interview set up by Zoe Timms, a previous interviewee. These girls were all very nice and as excited to talk to us as were to them. Zoe Timms had briefed us on a few things to say and not say, and we were instructed to wear high collared long sleeve shirts, and jewelry. The reason why we were supposed to wear jewelry is because the girls there take a lot of pride in how they presented themselves, and jewelry was a huge part of that, even if they did not have a lot of money, so earrings and necklaces were highly encouraged.

When we were interviewing via zoom, we discussed many things, but maybe not things that you could find in a traditional interview. We were not so focused on their story, as we were how their everyday life was, what they did in school was, what their favorite shows and musical artists were, and what they wanted to be when they grew up. They really liked the netflix series Wednesday, and they liked K-pop groups BTS and BlackPink. Then they showed us how to make Dosa, a delicious thin pancake-like bread with some filling on the inside, and we made something that would be totally foreign to them: A peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Zoe had told us beforehand that the girls there all assumed that Americans pretty much only ate bread and that was the main food in our diet, which though it very honestly might be true, it was still funny to hear. The girls were extremely smart and they all told us what they wanted to be when they grew up. Some wanted to be engineers or teachers, and doctors, and we were honestly a little surprised by their answers, since when the question was posed to us, most of us realized that we didn’t really know what we wanted to do. They also had a very well rehearsed dance for us, and we were surprised at how good they were, considering the only thing we could come up with was a poor macarena. This really was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to talk to these girls, and we are so happy that we were able to.

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On February 28th, we had a zoom call with some girls in an Aarti home in India. We exchanged recipes with each other, they made dosa and we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The point of this zoom meeting was to share different aspects about ourselves and our daily lives with each other.

Zoë Timms, the founder and executive director of the Women’s Education Project (WEP), set us up with the Aarti Home based in Pradesh, India. Previous to this zoom, we had an interview with Zoë and she told us that these girls may have come from hard situations and that is why they are in the Aarti home.

In the beginning of the call, they started off by preparing dosa, which is a thin pancake and they showed us how they made it and cooked it. Afterwards, we prepared a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to show them an American food. We talked about other foods and what our favorite foods were and we both learned new things about different foods.

Once we finished sharing our recipes, we focused our discussion on sharing about our personal hobbies, interests, and things about our daily lives. It was very fun and interesting to learn about their daily lives, what they like to do, and we talked about common interests. One of the things we talked about was dancing. They performed a very well-choreographed dance for us, and then they asked us to dance, so we did the Macarena and they sang along with us.

We continued talking about our interests such as our favorite movies, tv shows we liked, and what music we liked to listen to. They shared that they love the show Wednesday and liked to listen to BLACKPINK and other K-pop artists. We talked about different sports and hobbies we like such as tennis, basketball, singing, dancing, and playing piano. Since there is a big time difference between here and there, it was about 8pm there so they had to go home. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for talking with us so late. It was really fun to talk with them about things we liked and didn’t like, share recipes and talk about different foods, learn new things about their lives, and share aspects about our lives too.

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On Tuesday, January 28th, my social justice group zoomed with The Aarti Home students who are based in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Aarti Home is a shelter/program that makes sure girls are recognized and educated so that they can have a promising future. They find children who are neglected by families or maybe abused into exploitation and help them create dreams and a healthy vision of what they want to be. We got this interview opportunity from Zoe Timms, the founder of The Women’s Education Project, because she was another expert that we conferenced with that had ties with the Aarti Home. Zoe set up a virtual call for us to get personal with other girls our age and learn more about what their day to day life looks like.

Beforehand, Zoe told us that we shouldn’t just ask what the girls’ experiences were or how they got to where they are now, but more like a friendly conversation that asked about favorite classes and songs. She also told us that we could share an American snack or meal that would be new to the students. My social justice group decided on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We got strawberry jelly in a squeezy tube, white bread, and of course the peanut butter, to make the recipe as stereotypically American as possible. When the time came, we hopped on the meeting and introduced ourselves. The Aarti Home students then greeted us and told us that they were going to make their favorite dish, dosa. Unfortunately, the zoom was very glitchy, but we still got an understanding of what was going on. It was very fun to watch and I appreciated their willingness to show us something new.

Then it was our turn to make the sandwich. We set up plates and laid out everything we needed. We made sure to specifically describe each item and explain a step by step tutorial on how to assemble it. Once we finished, we showed them the finished product and they seemed very interested. Moving on from the cooking demonstration, the Aarti Home girls started to ask questions about what hobbies we enjoyed doing and what we wanted our career to be. We answered with things like dancing and playing tennis when all of a sudden one girl in the shelter said that she also really liked to dance. Once she said that, everyone else got super excited and the girls decided that they were going to show us some moves. They put on some music and performed a whole choreographed dance that we were not expecting. Once the dancing stopped, they asked us if we could do the same. We did not know how to respond but ended up doing the macarena. It was genuinely really fun and we had a great time. We asked a couple more questions and then the girls said that they had to go because there is quite a big time difference. It was about 9:00 pm at night and they had to get some rest. We waved goodbye and shut the computer.

Looking back on the experience now, it was so interesting to be able to do something like this. We exchanged many smiles and it was very chill and laid back. My social justice group is very lucky to have gotten to do this and we are grateful that it worked out.

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On the morning of Tuesday, February 23rd, my group and I sat down on zoom with a bunch of girls our age from the AARTI home. The AARTI home instills a few main values in their students that really stuck out to us, including, the values of Integrity, Compassion and Empathy.

At the ARTTI home the children are provided love, and their broad range of insecurities addressed. Children grow with the security of shelter, food, health care in community based living. Children get an education at the appropriate age, have an opportunity to dream and are guided towards a secure, definite future.

These girls are currently in India, and when we talked with them it was 8pm. It was an extraordinary experience. The main activity we had planned was surrounding food. They showed us how to make an Indian dish called Dosa, and we showed them how to make a sandwich. We also shared and spoke about our interests, favorite food, what we want to be when we grow up, and what subjects in school we enjoy.

We steered clear of topics surrounding family, religion, and marriage. we were told that those topics are sensitive to the girls, which is understandable. It was interesting to hear what the girls enjoyed doing. I learned that they enjoyed the show Wednesday, and many of them love K-POP groups like blackPink and BTS.

Talking with girls our age gave us an entirely new perspective, one that we needed to gain a full understanding of this topic. The girls we spoke to were so eager to hear us talk about our lives, and we felt the same way toward them.

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On Wednesday February 15th with Zoe Timms who is the founder of the Womens Education Project. We started off the interview with asking her how she got into this type of work. She explained to us how she was given the opportunity to do a year abroad to India. During her year abroad she researched many things such as polluted rivers and poverty. She discovered a non profit that helped with girls education, and started working as a English teacher for girls. She shared a story with us about a girl who she taught, after her English class she would dismiss them to go to karate. After all the students left one girl was left, she told the girl that she needed to go to class. The girl pointed down to her leg and Zoe realized she had polio. The next time they had a class she dismissed them and went to have tea with the teachers, when the students returned in the middle of the crowd was the girl with a big smile on her face and she said “I did it! I really tried!”. The strength of these girls no matter their situation is truly inspiring.

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On January 15th, we had an interview with Zoë Timms who is the founder and executive director of Women’s Education Project (WEP). The Women’s Education Project helps girls of all ages in India and Nepal access an education. She shared important information with us about her work and how her and WEP is helping girls in India and Nepal attend school.
When Zoë got an opportunity from her professor to go to India, she wanted to go because it sounded interesting. Once she got there, she saw a polluted river and that many of the girls living nearby were not attending school. This is when she knew she wanted to make her life’s work, supporting people in these conditions as much as possible, like supporting girls in attending school.
Zoë was working at a local school in India and one of her students was staying behind when the other students were going to class. Zoë asked her if she was ready to go to karate class because everyone had to go, that is when the girl pointed down to her leg and Zoë saw she had polio. The next week, the girl completed karate class saying “I did it!” to Zoë. Zoë talked some more about how strong the girls that she works with are and that they teach her things as well.
Another topic in Zoë’s work that she shared with us is some of the barriers that come up when they are trying to support these girls in attending school. One of them is that sometimes the parents want their daughters to get married and start a family early on, rather than attending school. When WEP comes across barriers such as this, they respect family and cultural traditions, and try not to interfere with the families beliefs. Something else Zoë shared with us is how her and WEP go into these communities with a humble attitude. One of the ways Zoë said she does this is by wearing similar clothes the girls she is helping wear, and always being open to trying new things. Another way she does this is once she has gotten to know the girls, Zoë and the girls will teach each other things from their own cultures.
Zoë has also set up a call with us and some of the girls in their program. We are excited to talk with them and share and learn about different foods, cultures, and daily life.

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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.

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February 15th, 2023, my social justice group met with the founder of The Women’s Education Project, Zoe Timms. We invited her to talk about her work with girls education in India and how she found courage in herself throughout the process. We first discussed things like where she went to college and how she got the opportunity to go abroad to India for a year. When her professor presented the idea to the class, she was immediately all in.

While in India, Zoe noticed that the area she was in was very polluted and many families were in poverty. This made her feel compelled to help out more and go beyond just college. Many girls were not in school which was a main problem Zoe was passionate about. To get more personal, my social justice group asked for a specific story about a girl who went through the education program. She told us a touching story about a time where karate class was taking place and one 12 year old girl had polio so she couldn’t really participate. A couple days later, Zoe saw the girl saying that she actually joined in on the class with everyone else. This showed commitment and how the young girl really tried something new, even when she was discouraged. Another question my group asked was what are some barriers you come across when trying to help girls out. She answered that many men in a young woman’s family are usually defensive about their daughter getting a better education than themselves. This was one of the main restrictions that could occur when choosing to take action. To end off the interview, Zoe told us that she got to know herself even more when starting the Women’s Education Project. She couldn’t really believe that she made all this progress and devoted so much time to this topic.

Before the interview got set up, we were emailing Zoe and she told us that we could possibly do another fieldwork where we would talk to girls our age in India through a virtual meeting. We could share cooking recipes or maybe do an arts and crafts project. In about a week, our social justice group will now do an additional interview with Zoe Timms, but this time with girls ages 13 or 14 to find out more about their culture and possibly do cool arts and crafts projects they would want to share.

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On February 15th, My group mates and I sat down with Zoe Timms to talk about girls in India who are currently being restricted from attending school. Zoe Timms attended Wisconsin university. While sitting in one of her classes a professor asked if anyone would like to study abroad in India. She raised her hand impulsively, and that one decision altered her life.

founded in 2002, Women Education Project has the fundamental belief that the decisions made by a self-reliant, informed, and skilled woman effect lasting positive changes in her life, her family, her community and society as a whole. By getting an education, Women’s Education Project teaches these girls what it truly means to have multiple babies and get married at a young age, and how they don’t have to follow their families wishes.

We also heard a personal story. in the late 90’s, when Zoe was 20 years old, she taught English to young Indian girls at a local school. When her class was over she would dismiss the girls to their next class which was karate. One day, she dismissed the class but one girl stayed behind. When Zoe asked why she wasn’t with the rest of the girls, the young girl pointed down to her leg. She had polio. Zoe felt badly and was extremely apologetic. A few days later, teaching the same class, she dismissed them and the girl with polio went to her next class. After Karate was over she went running up to Zoe and was overjoyed because had tried. That’s when Zoe saw her dedicated and hardworking all of these girls are, and how they deserve so much more than what the have.

Also with Zoe Timms, we set up a zoom call we are going to have with girls our age who are living in India, living the reality. Zoe Timms told us about how home life can be a sensitive topic, and how they come from extremely conservative backgrounds.

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Ashley Steimer-King is the program director at Girls Learn International. She told us all about how her organization had helped girls in the U.S and around the world. Their mission is to give everyone a chance at a proper education. Not unlike Sarah Symons’ cause, when girls are given an education, they have an ability to have a much more stable life down the road. Amanda Gorman had also been a volunteer at the organization before.

She said that she had been to the UN, and loved doing what she did and feeling like she was helping so many people get the education they needed.

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We interviewed Sarah Symons, founder of HFC, an organization that helps girls in India and Nepal have access to an education. We discussed that when girls have an education, it can help them with many things, including getting a stable job, having marriage not getting in the way of an education, and preventing early pregnancy.

I think this was super important because many kids do not want to go to school because they view it as such a chore, myself included. Hearing these girls’ stories and hearing about their journey was very interesting because i think we take education for granted very frequently, but maybe we should open our eyes and see how privileged we really are.

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We met with Ashley Steimer via Google Meet on Thursday, January 19th. Ashley Steimer is a part of Girls Learn international which is a group that empowers middle schoolers and highschoolers to advocate for human rights, equity, and universal access to education in both the U.S and all around the world.

She gave us a personal story about a young girl from Kenya who came to the United Nations and spoke before many leaders about her struggle

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On January 19th, my social justice group zoomed with the program director of GLI (Girls Learn International) to learn more about how girls struggle with getting the access to education. Ashely is very devoted to human rights issues and helping out girls who deserve better treatment get the right materials and knowledge they need. GLI focuses in the U.S., but also outside of the country, empower girls to make sure they feel supported.

One thing that I thought was very interesting is that GLI offers sex education to girls who may not have known about it in the first place. This is important because it teaches the students how to make informed decisions and keeps girls safe from abuse that could possibly happen. Another significant factor was how GLI makes sure to prioritize safe living conditions/family problems before doing anything regarding education because it is important to make sure a student has stability before carrying on with other things. They can provide necessities like period products or getting food because that could be something that holds a girl back from attending school in the first place. Interviewing Ashely was very informative and I am so glad that my group had the chance to talk with someone who is very experienced. She taught us that leadership and taking action is very important to gaining justice which I will take with me in later fieldwork.

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On January 19th, we interviewed Ashely Steimer-King who is the program director of Girls Learn International (GLI). We got to learn about their entire program, and more about what they do to help girls access education. Their organization is important because they make sure girls and their families have stability in their lives, so that the girls are able to attend school. GLI’s mission is to advocate for girls’ education across the U.S. and around the world and to empower and support new generations of people fighting for social change.

I learned so many new details about GLI’s work from Ashley and how they help girls access a safe education. One of things I learned is that if another priority comes up when they are working with families, such as access to food, water, and shelter, GLI will help them access these things before trying to encourage the girls to attend school. I also learned that sometimes a family’s culture or religion can get in the way of the family wanting their daughters to attend school. GLI offers a variety of subjects in their educational programs and some of them are teaching the girls about mental health and sex education, since they usually haven’t been taught about these things. Once they give these girls an education, it not only helps them learn new things and be educated but it also opens up new opportunities for them, and that is one of their goals. GLI is still helping many girls access a safe education, so the girls have more opportunities to choose from throughout their lives.

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On Wednesday, January 4th our group had an interview with Sarah Symons, the founder of Her Future Coalition (HFC). She is important to our topic because their organization helps girls around the world access a safe education. I learned that HFC is taking action to address this issue by giving girls around the world the opportunity for a safe, equal, education. This is extremely important because in many countries girls cannot access a safe education, let alone any education at all. HFC’s mission is to try and give as many girls the opportunity to experience a safe education in a safe environment.
I learned that some girls choose not to attend or are restricted by their parents because of religious, cultural or other beliefs that limit these girls/their families from wanting them to go to school. One of these restrictions is marriage, because in some cases the parents want their daughter to get married early on instead of going to school. I also learned that if there are other priorities that the family or the girls need before getting an education like shelter, food, and water, then HFC will help them access these things before trying to get the girls involved in their program. I learned that they need to go into these situations with a humble attitude because their intentions are to give the girls an opportunity to go to school. HFC has helped and is still helping so many girls be able to attend a safe school, and learn many different subjects so the girls can have new opportunities in their lives.

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On January 4th 2023 our group met with Sarah Symons to talk about her involvement in HFC and her experiences. Before the interview we researched her and why she decided to found her company. In 2002 Sarah had been working to make songs for tv shows. She had seen a documentary about sex trafficking in Nepal and India, it had influenced her to quit her job and create this foundation.

Throughout the interview Sarah told us about what she has done so far for example going into refugee camps. She also told us about certain people she helped and her views on going into different community with a respectful mindset. Her company goes into different community and set up an education system which can give girl access to education. In the beginning they set up workshops so that the girls could make jewelry and other things that could provide them with income and skills. They started offering education later after realizing that it could make the women more successful and it would be more productive.

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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 make 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.

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On January fourth my group sat down with Sarah Symmons about her involvement in HFC. She talked to us about how she quit her job in the early 2000s to dedicate her time to starting a girls education rights group.

HFC stands for Her Future Coalition. Since 2005 Her Future has been creating powerful and positive change in the lives of survivors of gender violence and girls at the highest risk.

She shared some of her personal stories, how her mindset has changed, and HFC’s various volunteers programs.

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