YOUR AD HERE »

International Womenand#8217;s Day Panel Discussion in Tahoe

Special to the Sun

TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; Do you know that International Womenand#8217;s Day is on March 8? All you ladies and all you men who love ladies are invited to a special event hosted by Tahoe Womenand#8217;s Services. A distinguished panel of key local and international figures including Barbara Shaw, founder and director of the Maasai Girls Fund for Education; Chief Nicholas Sensley, Chief of Police of Truckee; Shannon Beets, dean of education and provost at Sierra Nevada College; Monica Caldari, bilingual educator, and Jennifer Gureki, executive director of A.R.C. will discuss the importance of education of girls locally and internationally and its leading role in prevention of many social ailments, including poverty.

Tahoe Womenand#8217;s Services believes the key to eliminating violence in the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee is through education. They do this every day through direct work with survivors, anti-violence education in the schools, and advocating for social change As an organization dedicated to creating safer, more peaceful lives for all people, Tahoe Womenand#8217;s Services is pleased to support the work being done to support girls and women at a global level as well. Barbara Lee Shaw is welcomed as a keynote speaker at the International Womenand#8217;s Day panel discussion addressing the importance of education of girls in the North Lake Tahoe region and worldwide.

Shaw is the founder and president of the Maasai Girls Education Fund, an organization focused on strengthening the literacy, health and economic well-being of Maasai girls in Kenya and their families through the education of girls and their communities. The Maasai Girls for Education Fund provides scholarships and support for girls to attend and finish their education. Shaw focuses on the Maasai community, where only 48 percent of girls enroll in school, and only five percent reach secondary school level.



The Massai Girls Education Fund embraces theories that say investment in the education of girls can bring improvements to a variety of social issues facing developing countries. By educating girls and women, the needs of their families are better taken care of, the economy of their country is eventually strengthened, and the idea of ending global poverty begins to look less daunting and more like a viable reality. When a woman earns money, she is likely to spend it on nutrition, medicine and housing for her family, while spending trends among men often include the purchases of alcohol, tobacco and prostitutes.

This and#8220;out of the boxand#8221; approach to social issues is gaining momentum. Even Nike has gotten involved by creating the Girl Effect, a media campaign dedicated to investing in girls as a way of raising the standard of living in the developing world. Check it out at http://www.girleffect.org.



Panelists will discuss the Girl Effect and other factors contributing to a girland#8217;s success in education and her positive impact on the world. The event featuring local education advocates will take place on March 8, International Womenand#8217;s Day, at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, Room 139 at Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, Nev., 5:30-7 p.m., with refreshments and a networking opportunity directly following.

and#8212; Submitted to aedgett@sierrasun.com


Support Local Journalism

 

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.