Dear editor,

IT has been said that blessed are those who have daughters in their lives for those darlings are the ones who bring love, happiness and harmony into one’s family. They teach us to see the world from a different perspective through the softness of the eyes. Being favoured with embodying the essence of progeny, feminine functionality adds another essential significance regarding the purpose of mankind. But in this present, conflicting and challenging world where women and girls are subjected to molestations, assaults, abuses, rapes, murders, victimisations and discrimination, it is highly important for parents to understand the need for empowering their daughters and to allow them equal opportunities as with the sons. Befittingly, the United Nations has dedicated October 11 as the day each year to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child, to celebrate the importance, power and potential of girls around the world. It is also a day to highlight girls’ needs and the particular problems they can face and drive efforts that meet these needs and fulfil their rights, not benevolently for them, but in partnership with them.

Once again, the ever dedicated, selfless and hard-working First Lady of Guyana, Arya Ali, continues to awaken the power, strength and capabilities of the Guyanese women and girls to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of a feminine culture in an over-looked environment.

Last Sunday her timely and motivating message marked the importance of International Day of the Girl Child when she said, “We have seen remarkable achievements in the advancement of rights of girls over the last few decades. Girls are proving to be unscripted and unstoppable, organising and mobilising themselves to tackle national issues such as education inequality, gender-based violence and the climate crisis.”

Encouraging a cohesion for unity, Lady Arya Ali concluded, “In so doing, we must also amplify leadership and actions which inspire solutions to positive change. Together, we can do this!” “A few weeks ago, Lady Ali was in the forefront, bringing a consciousness for “Breast Cancer Awareness,” by decorating the splendour of the colour of Pink on Main Street.

It is interesting to note some of the remarkable achievements from girls that have painted a universal impression and have resulted in positive reactions, globally. A chosen few are mentioned below to supplement and compliment First Lady Arya Ali’s commitment on her honourable mission and to serve as an inspiration to young Guyanese girls:

Greta Thunberg:
You’ve probably heard of this environmental activist after her passionate speech at the UN Climate Summit, but this 16-year-old student has been advocating for sustainability for years now. Greta began by protesting the Swedish parliament in an effort to get them to do more to prevent climate change. She went on to organise Fridays for Future, a school climate strike movement. As of 2019, more than one million students around the world participated in a multi-city coordinated protest for stronger action. She has won numerous international awards.

Marley Dias:
Marley is the activist behind the #1000BlackGirlBooks twitter phenomenon. The hashtag was born out of the avid reader’s frustration that she couldn’t find any stories where the main characters looked like her. The book drive resulted in more than 11,000 books catalogued with black female protagonists, and counting. Marley also wrote the book Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You as a guide to positive change through activism.

Emma González:
After surviving a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a group of teen activists was formed to fight for an end to gun violence. Emma González was one of those students, in addition to David Hogg, Alex Wind, Jaclyn Corn, Cameron Kasky, and many others. She co-founded Never Again MSD, a group for gun control, and gave a moving speech at the March for Lives Rally in which she read the names of her classmates who died in the shooting. After the work of Emma and her fellow activists, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act was passed by Florida lawmakers in March 2018.

Malala Yousafzai:
At 17, Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate for her humanitarian efforts. She captured the world’s attention after being shot by the Taliban in Pakistan on her way to school because she was an advocate for women pursuing education. She is currently working towards her bachelor’s degree at Oxford’s Lady Margaret Hall while continuing her charity work through her organisation, The Malala Fund.
Samantha Smith:
Further proof that the words of a child can make a huge impact, Smith was only 10 when she eased Cold War tensions between the United States and Russia with a single letter. She wrote a note to CPSU General-Secretary Yuri Andropov suggesting that both countries could co-exist peacefully, which ended up getting published in a Soviet newspaper. Andropov responded with an invitation for Smith and her family to visit his country. This experience earned her the role of “America’s Youngest Ambassador,” and she later brought her message of peace to Japan. She also pursued a television career as an actress and as a special correspondent for the Disney Channel covering the 1984 presidential election. Following her untimely death at 13 in a plane crash, her achievements were celebrated in her Maine hometown and in Russia where a monument was built in her honour.

Anoyara Khatun:
At 12-years-old, Khatun was a victim of child-trafficking until she was rescued by Save The Children. She returned to West Bengal and committed her life to putting an end to the exploitation and trafficking of children. Anoyara has rescued hundreds of children through her efforts and prevented many others from being forced into marriage.
Anne Frank:

The teenage diarist died in 1945, but the words she put down in her notebook while her family was in hiding during World War II have proven to be timeless. It’s a literary reminder of the horrors of war and hate through the eyes of a young girl. Anne’s diary has been translated into more than 60 languages since its original publication in 1947.

Gitanjali Rao:

Rao was awarded $25,000 at 11-years -old for inventing a device that can detect lead in drinking water. She was motivated by the Flint, Michigan water crisis and built her prototype (called Tethys) for a little more than $20. Rao believes that her invention is more accurate than current test options and would also be the more affordable option. The invention earned her the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

Alex Scott:
Scott was less than a year old when she was diagnosed with cancer and spent her first few years of life fighting against the odds. After receiving a stem cell transplant around her fourth birthday, she vowed to start a lemonade stand to raise money for other children going through the same thing. With the help of her brother, the first stand raised $2,000. The lemonade stand to support cancer research became an annual event for her family and Alex raised over $1 million before losing her own battle in 2004 at eight-years-old. Her family continues to carry on her legacy through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and has raised over $150 million to date in the hope of finding a cure.

Respectfully,
Jai Lall