Julie Veronica Anne Basu (Part II)

Last week we introduced you to Julie Veronica Anne Basu, a student at Bumpe High School. She is 19 years old, loves studying government, and dreams of becoming a lawyer. Watch the video to learn what a typical day is like for her. Continue reading to learn more about Julie's inspiration- Christina Thorpe.

You may not be familiar with Christina Thorpe, but in Sierra Leone- a country with a female youth literacy rate of 37% (in comparison to a 60% literacy rate for male youth)- she is a hero for many girls like Julie.

Ms. Thorpe has spent her life educating many in Sierra Leone. She began as headmistress at a Catholic secondary school (and also was a nun), later became Minister of Education and the only woman in a government cabinet of 19, and went on to found Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), which raises awareness about the impact of education for women and works with NGOs to promote access, retention and performance of girls in schools.

In Sierra Leone, women with even a few years of basic education have smaller, healthier families; are more likely to be able to work their way out of poverty and are more likely to send their own children- girls and boys- to school.

BBC article on Christina Thorpe (click here)

Mining an Education

This video pod from Current.com focuses on children who work in diamond mines to pay their school fees. Despite the efforts of the Sierra Leonean government to protect children, including the passage of The Child Right Act of 2007, which sets the minimum age for employment at 15 years, many children must work to support themselves and their families.

To watch video, press the green play button above to watch video. Note that an advertisement may pop up over the video. To close it click the "X" in the upper right corner.

[video pod from Current.com]