Children in the United States are granted the chance of education. An option young ones in some other countries seldom get the chance. We, kids in America get this chance and yet some of us, abuse it. We don't realize that others live in dire situations where such necessities like food, bathrooms, learning, or even a simple teaching of literature and the need for it, is simply a mere whisper to kids around the world. Their voices quiet and most likely never yet to be heard. Life is not as easy as it seems, to the many privileged kids living in a country of freedom and opportunities, it might seem like fun and games, but no one will understand the issue going on in the developing world without being educated about it. Sure, you have seen homeless people living on the street as you drive to a certain destination, and sometimes we think that is the epitome of sadness in the world and what we don’t often realize is that there are horrendous things happening to people around the world, and these people include kids, babies, and even adults. Most of these problems are stem from gender inequality, around girls and how education rarely comes to them.
Barriers surround all of us. There are certain limits of “walls” put together by society and certain judgement that some don’t dare to cross. We keep their opinions to themselves and no matter how rich or poor deemed to be, they seldom help the ones in need. Even though they know the problem exists, they ignore it, hoping it will go away, but it never will. No matter how much of an eye sore a problem is, ignoring it will never help the one in need. It only helps the oppressor.
Sokha, a young girl, living in the Cambodian dumps, a disastrous area where kids rummage through garbage for food, clothes, and get paid little to none. They live and breathe the dusty, fuel fumes in the air, not getting a speck of fresh air. She dreams of going to school and getting the education that most people that surround her wish for everyday. A simple wish just to attend school for an education. You hear privileged kids speak about how they want this and that and all the toys at the store. Sokha doesn’t want toys, she doesn't want wealth, all she wants is a simple wish to come true, just to go to school for an education. Living in an area where people throw away their trash is very dangerous and puts people’s health at risk. Used needles, rotten food, dirty clothes, and more can cause serious health issues to the people who live there. Nobody should ever live like this, it is cruel and unimaginably reasonable. We all are so lucky to be able to have all these privileges and live every day complaining about how we hate this and that, when adults and kids in the developing countries like “Sokha” have what we have.
Yes, when you watch or observe something this depressing you would be affected in different ways, emotionally or not. I am not saying that everyone will have the same reaction, but each person should be affected in a certain way. Looking at Sokha’s situation makes me think how unfair it is for the children living in poor conditions because we privileged kids worry about our clothes or our wealth, while they live in dumps and struggle to survive. It makes me think deeper in life, it expands my thoughts on being grateful and appreciative of life instead of taking advantage of the privileges I have. To know that some of these kids eat once every few days and the food is not very large in quantity just upsets me. I am sitting here in school everyday and I am able to have an amazing education. I get three to four meals a day while kids around the world are barely eating everyday. I admit that I do take advantage of what I have around me, friends and family and being able to survive every single day without struggling. When you are a child, boy or girl, you are supposed to feel loved, not neglect. To know I have parents that love me is an amazing and comforting feeling. Sokha’s parents died, which is heartbreaking. This should reach into your feelings in a very deep way, not everyone will feel the same as I said but you should have certain types of feelings in your own mind. Sokha is a truly inspiring girl.
In any human being, lies smile; we have feelings, we have opinions towards things. Most kids who live in areas like a dump yearn for things so simple; a pencil, a piece of paper, a single crayon. The the conditions they are in are unfair other people have a room over their head, clean water, food, but the children living in those dangerous conditions are running through garbage everyday knowing that they can die just to survive. People like Sokha, keep such a happy attitude and a positive vibe and push themselves through the day. Sokha did not enjoy living in the dump. Dumps are extremely dangerous with all the hazards and health issues it can cause. It is no place for a human being to live in, children have a scarce amount of clothes, no shoes. Imagine yourself walking through the garbage with the horrific stench of burning coal and knowing your whole body has cuts and bruises by the garbage you are walking in. Certain people die slowly because of how bad the conditions are. But at the end- her long lasting wish of getting the education she yearned for came to be true. She got what she wanted, and what every girl and child deserves no matter what their situation is. No child should be left behind- everyone should rise.
- Billy, Supriti, James, Molly.
Growing up as children, living in Quincy and having the privilege of our educations, we never imagine that there is a whole other world, other lives.. Ones in which the houses weren't food-filled, and the windows and floors didn’t have a sparkly shine. A life with other’s rubbish surrounding them and an endless view of daily work. We have never put thought into how many supporters we have around us, and the realization that we are some of the luckiest kids in the world. The education we take for granted, wishing for Christmas breaks and holiday fun, anything to get out of that “horrid classroom” that we don’t appreciate. While others dream of the books, pencils, and the crayons spilling out of their backpacks.
When we were Sokha’s story as a group, we shared our thoughts and ideas to the before viewing questions. The group knew it was out of our capability to adopt a child and possibly fly half-way across the world to help and visit children in poverty, however we realized that with our newfound awareness on our lives, we can include in our future dreams, helping others in need. In the developing world, the smallest differences matter. The whole situation made us reflect on our own families and the benefit we have as privileged kids.
We were asked to reflect on the question: If girls can’t go to school, how it would affect us as family members? What if the main women in our lives, the ones who who raise us, who love us the most couldn't provide for us in that way because the nation stopped her or because she was married off too early or she was forced to make decisions she hadn’t had the maturity to understand? What if our fathers and brothers had to constantly had to work, round the clock to watch over and provide for over the women and girls to make sure nothing was wrong it would be havoc. We sigh in content, glad that we aren’t in that position, but someone else is.
We don’t realize we make it worse for the developing world by ignoring the situation or worse: not even having knowledge on it. The director of the film shared it with the world in hopes that we’d turn and take a glance; that we’d notice as a whole nation the struggles of the others. The director shared a story that one child couldn't even tell herself to people. The perspectives of the group shifted. As we sat in that classroom, realizing where we were in that moment. School.
After viewing the Sokha’s story we were happy when the bell rang and we didn’t have to think about the unfairness in the world.. Sokha worked with trash bags with her nose in rubbish. As we, work with sharpened pencils, or our nose in the books of the given lesson. The greatest impact we agreed on together, were the conditions she worked in. Trash, flies, and dirt and compared to us, it was despairing. We had never even known until the documentary made us see it.
The reality of the developing world was right in front of our eyes, a Google search away and we couldn't even believe it. How could any child not go to school? How was that even legal? Poverty like that is like violence, it damages people. Seeing children want to go to school, and looking back on ourselves, as kids who do not necessarily like going to school it seems very awkward. American children are so used to drama, friendships being made, and lunch served for 5 days out of the week. But in other countries, the only drama is whether or not they will have food on the table or be able to go outside and play with friends because of violence in their area and consistent poverty. American children take school for granted, mostly because that is how we were brought up, from ages 5-18 going to school is a daily routine. Kids in other countries would do any and everything to get out of sweatshops, bad living conditions, enslavement and orphanages.
~Lezly, Nami, Joe, Nina
SMS
In the Girl Rising documentary Sokha is a young girl living alone in the dumps of Cambodia. She has no access to education or anybody to help her in her daily life. Sokha doesn't have any food shelter and she doesn't go to school. She just walks around all day long picking up rubbish instead of going to school and learning. She struggles everyday to find her breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the dump.
In the dumps of Cambodia, children are living in poor conditions. Poverty is one of the biggest problems in the world today. Many people could contribute and help the children that are living there by donating money, food, clothes, and even school supplies. We as a society could help children living in poverty all over the world by raising awareness to these problems
In Cambodia from the two videos we watched about the scavenging there, if you compare our life’s to their lives then it seems so unfair because here we have a free education and we have a privilege to go to school. Here, the government helps provide for us with food and here our streets aren’t dirty or rundown like what we saw in the Cambodian dumps and kids here don’t have to quit school to go work in a dump or wake up early and be outside working all day which of course seems so boring. Here in the U.S, kids only have school from Monday-Friday then we have the weekend to ourselves which is friday afternoon then Saturday and Sunday but in Cambodian dumps they don’t have freedom because they have to scavenge for money or worry about getting abducted or cut by sharp trash. It’’s not their choice they're forced to work all day if needed.
~Shannon, Colby, Mathews and India
SMS
In Wadley’s life, she had many struggles while living in Haiti. After the earthquake that happened in 2010, she and her mother were struggling for supplies. Her mother would go into town and try to find people and or friends to support them through their struggle. They lived in a tent with many other people around who also had lost their housing. Wadley had stopped going to school after the tragic event. Her mother didn’t have any profit or money to help Wadley attend school. But Wadley loved learning and seeing her friends at school. While she wasn't in school, she had to help her mother with getting water. It's not easy for an 8 year old to walk far to get water let alone carry the heavy weight.
Kids just like Wadley are in a terrible place. Wadley wanted to learn and be around her friends while it was happening. That's why she never gave up and came every day to show her teacher she deserved to be there. Students in the US today don't think about the blessed activities we have. For example, public education; learning to read and write is one of biggest gifts in your life. If all of our parents weren't educated and were struggling like Wadley was, we wouldn't be in the place we are right now. This is why we are truly blessed and lucky for what we have because kids around the world are struggling and suffering from not having available education. Kids that are able to go to school should be grateful for where they are and we should use our gifts to help others succeed too.
~ Starlyn, James, Eddie & Ciro
SMS
In the movie “Girl Rising” one of the girls featured in the documentary is Sokha. Sokha is struggling through life because of her poverty. According to the book Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone, she lived with her single father but he passed away leaving her alone with her sisters. Throughout her life she had to do everything on her own and didn’t have the ability to go to school. She lives in Cambodia and lives in the dumps. She lives there and tries to find food out of the dumps as well as clothes. Sokha and many other children have to do this in their daily life. Bill Smith, an American photographer, went to Cambodia with his wife Lauren where they were shocked by the horrors of the dumps and how children were living in them. He went back to America where he raised money for the children in Cambodia and give them a chance at education.
Sokha was later found by Bill Smith and was given a chance to live in a center. Sokha was given a bed and her own room where she would wake up everyday and do what regular kids would do. She’d make her bed and go to school as well, she made a friend as well, Loung who also lost her parents as well to soldiers. They became great friends after a while and she also graduated and got her own scholarship. She joined the Zaman International School and later she got to be in the “Girl Rising” film paired with Loung Ung. As Sokha went to school she became a role model for other people as well and also taught some younger kids due to her doing so well in school. When asked what she wanted to do in the future she said that she wanted to become a teacher and give every child a place to learn. Later in her life she was invited to International Women’s Day in New York and also got to visit the White House where she got to meet Michelle Obama and is now doing very well and helps children in Cambodia to help give them a better future.
Most children in the USA have the ability and the right to go to school but usually take advantage of that right. Children in Cambodia or developing countries would dream to be in school and have a good education. People usually say that school is boring and the worst, but to Sokha and other children they say that it is fun because they have lived something really terrible. If people knew the living conditions of some children and how’d they live they would be grateful for what they have and how lucky they are to go to school. Girls all over the world aren’t even able to go to school because of their gender and instead are just working everyday trying to feed themselves. In some cases girls 13-18 who don’t attend school are instead married off to men where they clean, cook and help their husbands and usually don’t have the rights to speak out. This is important for people in any country that has the right to go to school to understand how lucky they are.
~Sunny, Aldo, Kyle, Ambro
SMS
In the Girl Rising documentary, Wadley’s, who at the time of the documentary is an eight year old girl, wants to go to school. In the video Haiti faces a horrible earthquake and that results in her losing her school. Her days went from going to school and doing homework, to getting water for her family and roaming the streets alone. She soon found that there was a new “school” outside under a tent but she had to pay for it. Of course her mother did not have the money for it, so she would go and refuse to leave. It is important for her to go back to school because as a girl, she needs to be able to provide for herself. In today's society it is not just the man in the house that will pay for everything and work, so if anything were to happen she needs to get her education, and has the right to do so.
Wadley’s perspective on school is much different than ours because I could say we all take advantage of school. We all complain about waking up early and doing work, when in reality we are extremely lucky. When Wadley wasn't able to go to school, that's all she wanted to do. She always thought of going to school and when she finally got the chance to, she couldn't afford to pay. We take advantage of the free education we have, and all the free supplies we receive.
Without school, Wadley does not have a safe place to go. Meanwhile in America we have school, homes, and many other places we can go that are safe. Wadley’s mother and Wadley spend most of every day trying to find their lost family in the natural disaster, unable to cope with the fact that they will never be found. If we weren't able to go to school, we would all feel extremely upset. This would affect every part of our lives, from our social life, to where we end up, to a job, and our daily lives. We need to be more grateful for everything that we have especially our education, as some people like Wadley’s story don't receive one.
~ Neveah, Kailey, & Jaidyn
SMS
Sokha was one of many children orphaned and living in a Cambodian dump. She was forced to pick through the dump’s trash to survive. According the book, Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone, Sokha spent three years going to the dump everyday to to find food, clothing, and ensure her survival. Sokha dreamed of going to school but because of the loss of her mom and dad, she didn’t have the chance to go to school. An American photographer Bill Smith found Sokha and took pictures of her in the dump and was moved very much by it very much. So he went back and asked friends, family, and people for money to help her go to school. Finally he went back and asked if she wanted to go to school and her face glowed with joy and said “yes”. If it wasn’t for Bill, Sokha would still be picking through the dump for food, clothes, and other needed things to survive. Sokha’s future brighten up because of Bill’s photo’s of her and his friends and family.
Kids in the Cambodian dumps dig through the trash to support themselves, as in they build their houses from what they find in the trash, get their food, what they wear, and so much more. The air in the dump is most likely toxic from the burning plastic. From the looks and smell of them they probably haven’t showered what weeks, months, or even years. To help these kids we could raise money. Giving a penny a day isn’t the best idea for this movement but it is good start. I don’t know if it will be able to keep going, we might start off big but then it would die out weeks or months. People should try to step in a little or a lot more then just giving a penny. Why not try and actually give them homes? Or take an orphan in your own house instead of going to orphans that actually have a roof over their head. Over 13,000 Cambodians die each year in the dump, could you imagine what percentage of that are kids? Higher than you and I both would like to hear. I, in my own opinion say that only giving pennies a day is not going to fully help this situation. We should be pulling kids and family out of that dump and sending them to hospitals and giving them food to eat because if they aren’t dying from the toxic air they could be dying
~Hailey, James, & Yavia
SMS
Wadley was an eight year old girl who loved going to school during her chapter in the documentary Girl Rising. She lived in Haiti with her mother in a small house. But suddenly, an earthquake destroyed part of Wadley’s town, including her home. She was forced to live in a tent with her mother on very low funds. When she tried to attend school the teacher sent her away because her mother could not pay for school. Wadley was determined to stay in school even though her mother couldn’t pay for her. She refused to leave until her teacher let her stay. Finally, Wadley's teacher decided to let her stay in school and learn.
If Wadley couldn't go to school she would be sad and she would have no education or no future for herself. It is important to her because she wants to have an opportunity for herself. After the earthquake it was very hard to find help. The government of Haiti could try to seek support for funding from other countries to build more houses, shelters, schools, and buildings. Wadley’s perspective is similar to others perspective because Wadley finds school important just like some people do. Her school is different from ours, because her school isn't a building, doesn't have technology or computers, or books.
Wadley was a brave person to keep going to the school and refusing to leave. If School wasn't free we would all be affected from school being expensive. School is probably the main place for social interaction, and without school, not a lot of people would have friends. If School wasn't free everyone would be affected, because they would probably not have an education. Like Sokha, Wadley lives in a tent having to do chores everyday when she couldn’t go to school. Both girls also live in poverty and in bad conditions especially after the Haiti earthquake which caused schools to cost a lot of money.
~Anthony, Clyde, Iyana, & Hannah
SMS
Sokha showed me that I shouldn’t take anything for granted and that education is more important than I know. I’d always complain about how I’d have to go to school and that I would rather be home but once I saw Sokha it made me realized that there are kids in the developing world would do anything to be in my place. I grew up being very fortunate that I had a roof over my head and being able to go to school unlike Sokha who had no choice but to live in a Cambodian dums. Other kids would love to get an education because by learning they could achieve unbelievable things. I now realized that by going to school can benefit me in so many ways. The children who lived in the dumps couldn’t do much but look for food in the trash but I on the other hand have the privilege to get an education that will lead me to do great things and have a better future for myself. When I saw how the kids were living in the Cambodian dumps it made me feel like I was such a selfish human being, complaining about how terrible my life is when others have it way worse. Seeing what Sokha had to go though makes me realize that I am very lucky and should use my right to education instead of throwing it away. Her story gave insight on that there are many kids in the world that couldn’t do the things I could do and that people like me who live in the U.S. are so privileged that we forget how lucky we are. Sokha’s story makes you realize something you never thought would be so important.
~Michael, Harmony, Issabella & Katelyn
SMS
Sokha Lived in the Cambodian dumps because she lost her parents at a young age. She dug through rubbish for food and clothes. Sokha’s life was changed by school because she was given an opportunity to learn and get a good job. When we learned about the Cambodian dumps it saddened us to know that children are living in these horrible conditions.
People organize groups to take them to safer places, give them food, clean water and clothes. It was important for the director to share her story so people around the world could become aware of the situation in Cambodia. Since learning about Sokha my group's view on education has changed drastically in a positive way and has made us feel that school is a gateway to our future. This taught us that with education you can go farther in life than without it. We believe that all people should help orphaned children who don’t have as much as we do. The people who helps us with school are our families, friends, and teachers. If the women in our families couldn’t read or write it would make it harder for us to do our homework is they couldn’t help us with our homework or contribute to the family it would make it hard because we would only be relying on one paycheck which some families couldn’t get by with only one income. If the men/boys had to provide for the women in every way it would get in the way of their education and make their lives more stressful.
~Akai, Ethyn, & Jaidyn
SMS
If public education wasn’t available in the U.S, many kids wouldn’t be able to go to school, maybe myself included. My parents work hard everyday so that they can pay for my sister’s college and insurance etc. They wouldn’t be able to take care of my school’s fees too. So that means I couldn’t go to school and have education like other privileged kids. In watching Wadley and Sokha’s stories, I realize how important public education is.
In over fifty countries around the world public schools doesn’t exist and 121 million children are out of school. I believe that every child should have the right to go to school no matter the amount of money their family has or even if they don’t have a family. Many tragic accidents can leave someone homeless, without money or family. If someone doesn’t have money then they can't support their child(ren) to go to school in developing countries where there are no public schools. People with education will do better later in life and be able to get better jobs to support their family or themselves, education is a right many people take for granted but I am sure one of them is not a kid like Wadley.
Wadley’s country, Haiti was hit by a massive earthquake. It is hard to watch that part of the documentary because the destruction is so bad. One short term issue that was caused by the earthquake is that people’s property was severely damaged. People in Haiti lost many crops, supermarkets and basically temporary access to basic things you need like food and water. They were traumatized, hungry, sick, and without resources. One long term effect is that people’s lives were destroyed. The earthquake injured and killed hundreds of people. There are many ways that people can suffer from short term effects and long term effects of natural disasters. The earthquake ruined a lot of people's lives. They ruined homes, stores, schools, and especially people’s lives.
~Parish, Jayvin, Huy Van
SMS
After learning about Wadley’s experiences, experiences that we as privileged kids would never go through, I began to have a different perspective on education and school, and valued it more. I learned that in places such as the U.S., public education is a protected right that gives children the privilege to go to school, and to get an education, an education that all kids in the world deserve. However, I found out that in different places a significant amount of children don’t get the opportunity to go to school or can’t because their families don't have the money to provide for them to go to school. Children such as Wadley are unable to attend school and that should be changed. Wadley is a young girl who was unable to go to school after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and the school collapsed, but once the school reopened, Wadley didn’t have the money to go, however, that didn’t stop her from going. Wadley was determined to go to school because she had a passion for learning and getting a education. Wadley’s passion for learning, which was not a priority in her mother’s eyes, shows her character of being a determined young girl in the developing world who wanted to follow her dreams and do what she wanted- to go to school. I also learned that going back to school was important for Wadley because an education would open up more opportunities for her, in the future.
Wadley’s experiences had an impact on me because I noticed how she viewed school differently from how I looked at it, which changed how I viewed school. Her perspective on school was that she saw it as an opportunity to learn but, I didn’t value it as much as she did, or the way she did. Being able to go to school throughout my life, I never realized how fortunate I was to have this opportunity when others didn’t. However, after being influenced by Wadley and the experiences she went through, to be able to get an education, it has given me a different perspective on school. It made me realize the importance of school and how I should value it more than I do. I learned that a large number of children who want to go to school, are unable to due to certain reasons preventing them from going. After learning about Wadley, I realized that I was taking school for granted, I learned that there are a lot of children who want to go to school but can’t, and I have the privilege of going to school, however I don't really think high of it. Wadley has influenced me to value the opportunity to attend school, to get an education, to learn things that will help me in the future, because hundreds of children aren’t able to go to school and to see the importance of it all the importance to have knowledge. Wadley’s situation brought us to understand the conditions that thousands of children have to go through everyday, because of the privileges we are given, we didn’t even realize the things other children experience that prevent them from going to school. Although we might not ever come to be placed in such circumstances however, we can appreciate young girls in our world who rise up, and we can reflect on their situations and they can have an impact us.
~Susan, Wayne, & Khalil
SMS
We currently live in a country that provides public education, which is considered a fundamental, and protected right; but without public education being provided- so many things would be different. If public education wasn't available, the only group that would be ok, would be financially-stable, or more specifically, the upper class, they would be the only ones with educations and jobs. As for job offers, more often than not, jobs are given to the person with the most education, the only ones who could afford a yearly tuition for a private school or college would be the only ones getting jobs. That would also result in even more divides in the economy- and also since public schools provide more than a basic skill set, it would be hard to actually work if the person has no idea what to do, or if they don't understand. Like said earlier, public education is a fundamental and protected right due to the simple fact, that everyone, including children and adults, deserve an education and an opportunity to have a future influenced by it. Together, as discussed within the group; we've decided that if we weren't able to attend school, we would feel defeated, and useless, sitting at home or not being able to do something.
Additionally, in the developing world, after a natural disaster, short and long term effects linger. Some of the aftermath of natural disasters include losing a home, family, being separated, or being orphaned; even human trafficking, and death rates spike extraordinarily high after them.
In the US, we have so many protections in place through systems in place to ensure, and provide support and access to education, such as the MBTA and school buses to transport you, the fire department, social services, along with the police department to ensure that you are safe, and attending. There are also associations that correspond with boards around the country along with laws passed by Congress in order to protect the right of every child's education.
If public education wasn't available to me I honestly have no clue what I would be doing or what I would have to do. Girls my age are married off so at the worst possible situation, I might have had to be married off. If I wasn't, my parents would have to work overtime to provide for both me and my little brother. Which means I would have to stay home and cook and clean and look after him even though he is eleven. The struggle that having no school would put on my family would be tremendous. I personally would be so bored and isolated and would try to learn somehow. I would be so depressed because school isn't just a learning place it's where you can make so many friends. I know that isn’t the whole point of school but it's always nice to have someone to talk to when you are going through something tough in your life. If my parents could get enough money for private school, it might have gone to my brother and in all honestly I would make him teach me how to read in write. I would try to save up slowly on my own so I could buy a notebook or just a reading book. Our class isn't even done with the Girl Rising unit but I am already aware that everything I have, I take for granted every single day.
~Sorcha, Kristen, Hanna, and Jenelle
SMS
The documentary “Girl Rising”, featured a young girl named Sokha who lived in a Cambodian dump. Living in heaping piles of garbage, she faces excruciating situations and deals with the overpowering stench and schools of flies and grubs circling around them. She unlike us, has no education or no other support system to help her.
Most of my family helps me with school, for example if I need something for school they will gladly buy me it or if I need help on homework they will help me. Also the teachers at school will assist me if I need help, but not all kids are as privileged at I am.Children with no parents should be taken responsible by adults who are respectful and suited to be guardians. But like Sokha, a lot of kids in developing countries are living in poverty, some without parents or a family. They have to depend on themselves unless someone would take care of the orphan.
Sokha had only her and her sister, neither with an education and providing for them was difficult. If neither my mom or I could proved for the family it would be extremely difficult because my father is out of the picture, so we’d have to rely on my 15 year old brother who isn’t even old enough to get a job yet. So we would have to struggle everyday.
~Khailea, Cody, Josh, & Erin
SMS
In the beginning of the video of Sokha's life we felt sorry for Sokha. She went through so much as a little girl from losing her parents to having to pick up garbage everyday. Sokha would daydream about going to school. We also felt guilty because we despise going to school and would much rather go on our phones, whereas there are kids out in the world like Sokha who dreams about going to school, who would drop everything they're doing and run for their education.
As we watched the documentary, we felt really guilty about our lives. We never thought that education was a privilege. Sokha daydreamed about pencils and erasers, while we daydreamed about lunch and after school activities.
At the end of the documentary, we were amazed at how an act of kindness, in this case a stranger sending Sokha to school, can change her life from a garbage dump scavenger to a well respected, smart, brave, helpful, role model. This also showed us that what is normal is different in every country. Money is also a factor to what is considered normal.
Central - Diana, Marco, Ted
Sokha
Sokha’s life has impacted us and how we see education. Kids complain about going to school and waking up early every morning. School is thought to be annoying, boring, and tiring, but once we learned about Sokha, it changed our point of view towards school. Now we know that school is a very special thing to have. We should all be grateful that we have an education. Girls in Cambodia need money to go to school, but in the U.S we have public schools. Due to the required money you need to go to school in Cambodia, most kids have to work instead of learn every single day. In Cambodia many families live in poverty, so their chances of being able to go to school is very low. After watching this film and reading Sokha’s story, some now believe that education is important and every child in the world should have this opportunity.
Going to school can change a kid’s life. Due to the education that was given to Sokha, she was able to have a better life and a choice to go to school. She is now much happier with her life than before. She is able to sense hope and believe in herself that she can make a difference for everyone, especially young girls.
We are glad that William Smith, the photographer, shared this story with us. Sokha’s story made us feel very lucky that we have an education. If this story was not told, we probably would still be complaining about school, and Sokha would still be a dump girl.
Kayla, Declan, Matt, and Thuy - Central
Sokha
Before learning about Sokha and her story we did not know much about Cambodia, we were completely unaware of their culture, language, and location. We also did not know what Cambodians were like, making us completely clueless as to how lucky we truly are to have such an inclusive and progressive educational system here in the United States. While American children daydream of going to get ice cream or playing basketball with their friends, many Cambodian children dream of attending school or leading what we believe to be “typical” or “normal” lives. While many children in America have never even seen or been to a real garbage dump, hundreds of Cambodian children work in garbage dumps, having to be careful not to step on broken glass, rusty nails, or used syringes. While many of the Cambodian children working in these dumps wish to have normal childhoods, to go to school, and to be free of obligation, American children often wish to grow up far faster than they should and get jobs. Children in America should be more grateful that they are ensured the privilege of receiving a wholesome education, because Sokha never did until someone came along and helped her and her sister go to school; Because of this man and his kindness, Sokha and her sister were able to receive the education that they had always deserved and dreamed of, now Sokha has a brighter future ahead of her.
Central: Ava, Haley, Joey, and Owen
As a group we did not know much about Cambodia. All we knew was that it is a country in Asia located near Vietnam. During the school day we normally day dream about our plans for after school. We are always complaining about homework and wishing we were not there. Little did we know, there are human beings who live in dumps that day dream about going to school. We spend our days in a nice school building with shiny and clean floors while they are walking most of the time barefoot through discarded food, metals, and sometimes needles. One child in specific is sokha. She use to spend her days in the dump until a photographer took one powerful picture and everything changed for her. When making the video it was important for them to share sokhas story because it shows how one person can make a difference and how with the help of that one person they can get to go to school.
Sokha is now going to school and her future is now way brighter. She has a better chance at getting a job and making a change. Anyone can help get people out of the dumps. One can contribute money or inform others of the cause. We still believe that we can do more to help the people in Cambodia. The images had a big impact on me because you could really see what is happening. We are more interested on the reasons why there are no laws protecting there safety from the things that can be found in the dumps as well as what happens later in their future.
Reilly, Victoria, Ian, Alex - Central
Before we watched the video we knew nothing about Cambodia. When we daydream we think of what we are going to do later on in the day and that is our definition of fun. Sokha a girl in Cambodia daydreams about going to school because of a caring person. So now she has an opportunity to go to school .Some ways other people can help people in Cambodia is buy pay for their school to help them get out of the dump. The filmed director filmed the children so, people can know and be aware of what’s going on with children, adults, and even babies in Cambodia. We take things for granted like education when there are people out there who wish they were in school. The biggest impact on us was that children like Sokha had to depend on a dump to live, provide food, and shelter .She didn’t have a chance to get an education until a photographer who’s only job was to watch to help out. Most of the girls in Cambodia didn’t have an education or a future the only chance they have to get out of the dump is to marry someone, a rich wealthy person.
Manar, Jasmine, Chris, and John - Central
Education = OPPORTUNITY!! School changed Sokha’s future because she will be able to get a job, find a permanent home, improve her family’s life, and make better decisions. Sohka will know how to educate her own children too. Educating people around the world can increase a person’s future income. For example, children who live in the dumps of Cambodia don’t have clothes, homes, clean living conditions, food, and most important, an education. How can we help them? We could donate or create a fund to support these children. If we didn’t know Sokha’s story, people wouldn’t be able to help by donating or spreading the word. The pictures taken by Bill Smith, the American photographer, helped us to be more informed about others living in real poverty.
We always thought school was a waste of time and boring. After watching the video about Sokha’s life and her daydreaming about school, we now realize that our education is important and a privilege that we should take seriously. As we stated above, education = opportunity!
Central: Selina,Kelly,and Michael
Before watching the video about Sokha our group thought that most people were wealthy, in a wealthy community and after we watched the video we learned that in Cambodia the wealthy and rich citizens would not help with the poor citizens in poverty. Going to school changed Sokha’s future by giving Sokha a chance to get out of the dump and to teach other young girls in the future. Some ways to help children living in the dumps of Cambodia is by adoption, donations, and starting an organization to help children in poverty.
Our views have changed through our appreciation to school and how lucky we are to be students and live in a country where all children are prioritized. Opinions that have remained the same are that governments like the one in Cambodia aren’t giving any effort to help their children, especially girls. New information that had the greatest information on us the fact that children in Cambodia who are in poverty have to work in dumps where there is no safety unlike in the U.S where there is worker unions. In the U.S, education is free and of high quality but in Cambodia education cost money.
What we are interest in learning more about is the future of the children in Cambodia who are in poverty and the countries like Cambodia. Will their government make a difference and help the children who are in poverty or make conditions worse? As well as the future of Sokha and more nonprofit organizations and how we can help children in poverty.
Central- Lily, Chris, Renee
Starting Sokhas story we were introduced to a cultured girl, dancing, dressed in jewels and a beautiful dress with a voice behind her introducing her story, to our surprise, we were taken to a dump where the real story began.
With their parents passed on, Sokha and her sister were forced to work on a dump for three years, making only ten to twelve dollars a month just dreaming of books, words on paper, pencils, pens, and uniforms. Things we often overlook. So, how lucky are we? For more than we previously thought. We sit here dreaming of traveling the world and how much were going to need to buy the next iphone or gaming system, others sit and dream about simple things like books and crayons.
Sokhas story is only one of the many, she was lucky enough to be saved though. A man, Bill Smith made that possible. He provided Sokha and others with the opportunity to go to school, he gave the world a glimpse through photographs and verbal presentations eventually leading to a change in many lives. We believe people need to be educated on this topic, not only adults but kids everywhere, we as a society genuinely only tend to worry about things that are directly impacting us despite how bad things are around the world. Seeing this, we received a fresh pair of eyes as to how lucky we are to even have the right to an education. We saw that kids as young as the age of nine are being given the responsibility of caring and providing for themselves while nine year olds here are in school for only their fourth or fifth years of education.
So, the dress and the jewels are all just items, the girl is the real story. Behind it all, there’s a past. A hard one that no one would expect, and that just one of the many stories. So, how lucky are we?
Central- Sarah Lena Ryan Steven
Before we watched the movie about Sokha we had no clue what Cambodia even was or what the people in Cambodia were like and their everyday struggles. We had no idea that kids in Cambodia lived in dumps and couldn’t go to school every day. Sokha and other kids have to work at dumps to find clothes, food, and stuff to survive. They risks their lives every day and could get injured very easily by stepping on needles and also getting infections.
Kids in the dump day dream about going to school every day. Imaging the rows of desks and freshly sharpened pencils. They also day dream of the teachers chanting the ABC’s and wearing freshly white and blue uniforms while we are day dreaming about getting out of school and going sports and activity’s with your friends after school. We don’t think it’s that big of a deal that we go to school because we have the right to go to school unlike the kids in Cambodia. We never thought about how lucky we are when we get lunch every day and sometimes go out to eat while kids in Cambodia are eating trash out of the dump.
If Bill Smith never saw the children in the dump most people wouldn’t be aware of what is happening Cambodia. He helped raise awareness to things people didn’t acknowledge any of these problems. 46 percent of woman think its ok for their husbands to beat them because that’s how their culture is raised. Most Kids and Family’s would still be living in dumps if Bill Smith and the community never drew attention to stop this tremendous problem.
Central-Caitlin, Bobby, Shayna
Why Education is important
In the past few days we’ve been learning about children in the country of Cambodia and what they have to go through every day. In other parts of the world many kids don’t get to attend school and daydream about going but we daydream about leaving school. In Cambodia many girls would do anything to attend school for education but we take school for granted by not wanting to go and trying to get out of going. In the U.S we have better job opportunities then people have in Cambodia. If Sokha didn’t meet the photographer and if he didn’t pay for her to go to school then she might have to work at the trash dump for the rest of her life to earn money.
Now that Sokha has an education she can go somewhere in life. She can get a job she wants to have and work for something she cares about instead of digging in the trash with other people. This shows how valuable education is because with education you can go anywhere in life and you can get a job to provide for yourself. It is important to understand that many children from around the globe don’t get the privileges of education like us. Every child in the U.S gets free public school and that could get them anywhere they want to be but children in Cambodia and other places don’t get what we have here. After learning about this we learned that in some places education is a privilege not a right and we need to cherish what we have now and learn that we are fortunate to have free public education.
Central/ Isabelle, Charlie, Oceana, Jenny
“The things you take for granted someone else is praying for.” People often take many things for granted and ask for more but we didn’t notice that there’s other kids in the world, who needs way more than we do. Before we watched the documentary, we never thought about how other kids around the world lived. We have parents who buy us the things that we want, we have friends and families that can cheer us up when we are feeling down and we have education from schools that can give us wealth. But do you know that there are many other kids in the world who doesn’t have what we are grateful to have?
The kids in Cambodia from Sokha's documentary spend their days in extremely dangerous conditions at the dump to make what little money the job can scrap together. The kids in Cambodia would dream of attending school instead of working at the dump. The kids that work at the dump in Cambodia usually have to work from sun up to sundown walking around with slippers going through trash that can contain glass or other sharp and harmful materials. While kids in the U.S regularly complain about going to school and not getting unnecessary items. Also, kids in the U.S is guaranteed the option to go to school no matter if they are in poverty, homeless or have disabilities.
Central/ Jack ,Bridget,Ryan,Menglin
Wadley
How much do you care about school, probably not a lot because you just go everyday like it is a chore. It is not like that everywhere. Going to school gives you a better chance at a future. Do you know about schooling outside your country. If you don’t then there was an 2010 earthquake in Haiti. That cause a lot of damage to the schools and the people. You would think that if your school was destroyed you would still have a house to live in but that wasn’t the case in Haiti. After Wadley’s school was destroyed she was still very determined to go to school. She didn’t have the money though but she saw a class everyday when she walking to get water. She just walked into the tent and the teacher caught her and was asked to leave. She just kept coming back until the teacher saw that should would show up no matter how many time she was told no. If your school was destroyed most would be celebrating. It is important that the film’s director to share Wadley’s story because of how much getting a education was this little girl, when other places take getting an education as a joke. Other countries should know that they can help just by donating a little bit of money so the children have a chance of going to school.
Central - Vicky, Emily, David and Duksing
Girls Rising: Sokha’s Story
In the mere beginning of the book, Girl Rising, a young girl named Purnima from Nepal states, “Life without an education is like a book with blank pieces of paper.” These thirteen words reflected by Purnima exemplify how important education is for children all around the world. In the United States, children’s love for school gradually declines as they age. However, in other countries such as Cambodia or Haiti, going to school is a privilege. As school is an everyday thing for students in the U.S., we see school as just an ordinary place we go to every week. Yet, most girls in other countries are portrayed as weak or not worthy enough to get a proper education. In those countries’ views, young boys are the only ones to get an education.
Our group was asked the question,“What if women in your family couldn't read, or write? Or contribute to the family? What if the men/boys in the family had to provide for the women in every way? How would your life be different?” As a group of strong, independent young adults, we all felt strongly about this question. If the men/boys in our families had to provide for the family and females in our families weren’t educated, our lives would be different in many ways. Rather than feeling intelligent and educated like we do in the United States, we would feel inferior and illiterate because we neither know nor understand what boys are learning in school. Females would feel useless as they can’t get a job or help to provide food, water, or money for the family like the males do. Furthermore, they would feel insignificant as they feel that they are not important enough to be treated equally like males and are just a burden. Similarly, they may also think that their society may have never given a thought about putting girls in school or even giving them a chance for education.
More than ten thousand miles away from the United States, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sokha dreams about attending to school. However, nine-year-old Sokha lives in a steaming garbage dump, the Stung Meanchey dump. Everyday she relies on sifting through copious amounts of garbage such as rusty nails, broken glass, and discarded syringes. Any one of those objects can harm her physically and the experience can damage her emotionally. As of today, the scars on Sokha’s legs prove to be evidence of the physical pain. That was until 2008, when Bill Smith, an American photographer, gave her encouragement. He inquired Sokha if she wanted to attend school. Sokha obliged. Given the opportunity to attend school, Sokha was given a different perspective on both herself and her way of life. Now, she sees herself as a stronger and brave person. Sokha is an avid student and accelerated in school. Able to accomplish her dream, she is a role model for all students and working towards a successful future.
After previewing and empathizing with Sokha’s experiences in Cambodia, we feel that it is significant for film directors to share her story. We acknowledge that there are numerous girls out there in the same situation as Sokha; therefore, if this becomes a popular topic, more people would become aware and be able to contribute. By donating money or showing care to girls not given the chance of education, you can change the future of that one girl. When comparing our privilege of school and education in the United States to Sokha’s childhood, we realize how valuable education is and how fortunate we are everyday, knowing that we can go to school the minute we wake up.
- Charlotte, Michelle, Nancy, Katrina, Christy (AMS)
Girl Rising Wadley
Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and go to school. We thought our normal routine was the same for other children around the world until hearing Wadley’s story.
Wadley had a similar life to ours until a calamitous earthquake hit her country (Haiti). After the earthquake, many fundamental parts of Wadley’s community were destroyed. The city of Port-au-Prince was left in ruins. One of the buildings destroyed was Wadley’s school. When she was roaming around, she noticed that the school had reopened. Even through the bad conditions of her city, the idea of being able to go to school again gave Wadley a purpose. One major problem stopping Wadley from going to school was that her mother could not afford for to go. Even though this plight, Wadley refused to back down and attended the school. We think it is very commendable that Wadley stood up for her right to an education. Her persistence to attend school shows how important education can be for some girls, including herself. Everyone should have access to an education even if they struggle financially. This is why public education is so crucial. There are many people that would have never attended school if it weren’t given to us freely. How many impactful people would we not know today if they hadn’t been able to learn? It takes one choice for public education to change the lives of children everywhere.
After hearing Wadley’s story, we realized how fortunate we are to have free public education available to everyone in America. There are over 62 million girls who, like Wadley, don’t have access to public schools. If public education wasn't a right in America, people who couldn't afford private schools would be left without an education. Private schools would raise prices to enroll in their schools since the demand would be higher and our economy would suffer. Not being able to go to school impacts your entire future and what you can do in life. “An extra year of primary school will increase a girls future earnings by 10 to 20%”. From learning Wadley’s story, we’ve realized we take school for granted and don't see it as a privilege. In America, students complain about getting up early and sitting through long classes; however, 62 million girls in this world dream of doing this. We should be grateful that we have opportunity like this available to everyone in the country. Wadley's story changed our outlook on our education. It made us realize that like Wadley, at any moment our education could be taken away from us. Education is the foundation for a successful life. 62 million girls in the world yearn for these fundamentals to have a happy life; however, they can not achieve them. Instead of getting their earned education, they are forced to work in horrible conditions.
Sokha, A Girl Rising
By: Mary Loney, Seamus Trainor, Eric Wu, Cindy Mei and Lauren Manning
I bet you have heard someone in your life say, “I hate school, I would do anything to get out of here.” Many people in the U.S take school for granted. Little do they know, more than 62 million girls around the world are not in school. One of these many girls, Sokha, has had her story told, hoping to impact the world.
Sokha is a girl who lives in Cambodia, and like many others, her home was in a dump. Before girl rising found her, she did not have a proper education. Prior to reading and watching Sokha’s story, we knew that children in other countries had great difficulties, but we did not know to what extent. After we learned about Sokha, our views changed greatly. Now we realize how lucky we are to go to school and get an education. We are aware that school has an enormous role in our future. Going to school has inspired Sokha to become a teacher.
It is not hard to help girls like Sokha in getting a proper education to set them on the right path of life. Just giving a small donation here and there will go a long way for girls in need. Education is important, and everyone should have a chance at receiving it.
Sokha
“Until 2009, when the Stung Meanchey dump was shut down by the government …” Sokha was one of the 66 million girls who was without education. Sokha’s situation was a nightmare; her day-to-day life consisted of looking for anything of value in the Stung Meanchey dump every waking hour. The garbage dump was a clear indication of just how horrific Sokha and many other’s circumstances were, as flies swarmed over the garbage, the smoke from burning trash drowning out the sunlight, and everywhere you step, you had to be careful to not step on the plentiful mounds of shattered glass, rotting nails, et cetera. The workers often got sick, what with the horrid hygiene, and they were always in danger of getting knocked down like dominoes by the trucks entering and exiting on a regular basis. Sokha also endured hardships before her time at the dumps that no one should ever have to go through. Her mother died when she was young and when her father was unable to get employed, they had to live on the streets for half a year. Then, a bomb of bad news dropped onto Sokha when her father died, leaving her and her sisters orphaned. This forced them to work in the wretched conditions of the dumps. In a video she made to spread her story, Sokha said, “I always thought my life was useless. I had no chance to carry a schoolbag or books to school. Instead, I carried the rubbish bag…” Sokha, despite her living conditions and the numerous difficulties she has had to endure, is still just a normal girl at heart who wants to have the chance to get an education and to see and learn more about the outside world. This magical girl finally got that chance when Girl Rising threw a lifeline to her.
Soon after going on a trip to Cambodia, a photographer by the name of Bill Smith formed a charity named A New Day Cambodia, a charity made to help house, feed, clothe, and educate the youth in Cambodia’s dumps when he saw the devastation in the dumps. He encountered Sokha in one of the photos he had taken and reached out a hand to her. With the help of Smith’s charity, she was able to attend school. Since she’s attended school, her life has turned for the better. She wakes at 4:30 in the morning, exercises, showers, then studies. Sokha told Girl Rising that she likes to reading, and her face “lights up when she talks about studying.” Her life at school contained comforts she had never imagined before: plenty of books, a real bed, but most importantly, a chance. Sokha enjoyed studying, in fact, she studied so hard that in 2010 she received a scholarship from Cambodia’s Children Education Fund, and attended Zaman International School. In 2011, she met her new best friend, a Cambodian writer named Loung Ung, after Girl Rising heard her story. Loung, like Sokha, had lost her parents, but also lost her two sisters. Ung said Sokha had “nerves of steel. . . . Sokha and I bonded over our outlook on life.” Later on, Sokha taught English and grammar on weekends. When Loung asked how she feels about being a role model, she said they could see how she’s “smart and kind,” and that they could be like her. Sokha has been given the opportunity to live a better life, unlike her family, which may be another reason she is a role model to other kids. Richard Robbins was impressed by Sokha’s strength, seeing how she was orphaned at a young age. He complimented her understanding of her hardships and struggles, and how she understands that she was given a special opportunity. Sokha told Loung she wants to be a teacher, and teach anyone who wants an education.
Learning her story has let us understand the wonders of education. It made us think more about the privileges that we have and how we should not take it for granted, because someone out there can only dream of being in our shoes and having all the opportunities we get. This enhanced our respect for school and showed us that education is a force to be reckoned with. Changing our view on education, this story widened our sight on the problems that many seem to be ignoring. Many girls are in the same or similar situations, Sokha’s life is an inspiration to many of them. She gives them hope and lets them know that they are not the only ones struggling for an education. Sokha’s story gave us insight on the lives of girls that do not have the fortune of education; as we do. School is not free in over 50 countries, which cuts off many potential students from acquiring the knowledge they deserve. It doesn't matter who you are or what your situation is, everyone should be able to attend school.
- Elena, Tyler, Michelle, Maeve (AMS)
Wadley, a brave, dreamy girl who had suffered from a earthquake continues the way she wanted to live. I was really impressed on the way she never give up on her education. She love school, and her friends. When there’s no money to afford Wadley to go to school, Wadley still continues to go to school. She was very persistent on the goal she wanted to achieve. I was certainly affected by her bright smile. Wadley love to smile, it seems like nothing could have taken the smile from her, not even an earthquake. Wadley was also caring for other people. She bought extra snacks for her friend who had lost her father the week before. She sat with her, also a way to comfort people when they’re sad. I learned about a brave, strong girl who love school and was caring for others.
The earthquake that happened in Haiti did change a lot of things. People used to live in a warm family now lived in fragile tents. Many had lost their families, many became homeless. Moreover, there are children that had loss their dream, their education. Many were not able to go to school. They’ve loss a chance to learn. It’s quite shocking to me since I don’t have to worried about those problems. I can’t even imagine a young girl having to face all of those disasters, and still have a pure, bright smile, and never give up on herself. If the government can start a fundraiser, maybe people from all over the world can get involved. They can donate food and clothing to the people in need. Education is not all about learning, it gets connected to everything, even your dream.
-Yu Ting, Agu, Narah, Robert (AMS)
Girl Rising: Wadley
As dusts are floating in the air of Haiti, Wadley carried her bucket all the way from the tent her family is living in, and to the fountain and carried the filled bucket back. January 12, 2010, an earthquake stoke Haiti. It had measured 7.0 out of 10 on the Richter scale, within the next two weeks, fifty-two aftershock quakes had hit. The quakes had taken more than one hundred thousand lives and it had left over a million homeless, including Wadley. Hundreds of tent camps were hastily put up, they were just temporary structures of plastic and plywood. Thousands of people has crammed into spaces that had been separated by flimsy dividers, without any sanitation or security. The situation was often very dangerous especially for women and young girls, and sexual violence had been common.
Wadley had faced many tense moments in the camp along with her family. However after several weeks, Wadley and her family had a chance to move into a Dormitory Room at a nearby university. That had been changed into a slightly better and safe housing. Wadley and her family were able to now have a roof over their heads, a lock on the door and were all together without being disturbed by anyone else.
Wadley was very passionate about school, she loved being able to see her friends everyday and also having a chance at an education. When the earthquake struck, the school was destroyed. After earthquakes struck there was a small group of kids, whose parents had the money to send them to school. However Wadley was not one of them, she was excited to see the school but was disappointed in not being able to attend. Our group realized how much we take for granted, like having food, money, a roof over our head and especially our education. Many of us living in the U.S. didn’t realize the harsh situation that many countries are facing. When some kids are complaining about having to go to school everyday, many other kids are dreaming about the brand new cover of a literary book and some fresh new lessons. Because education is not an opportunity that we are fighting for, we saw our chance of getting education as: ordinary. When something is too easy to receive, we get over it quickly. But in the Wadley video, she wants education and is willing to fight for her right of getting educated, she is different. Wadley wants education because the life without school is boring, she wants to hang out with friends and study. Many of us have the same point of view as well, but because we have many other activities we can do, the ‘boring life’ without school didn’t apply to us. Maybe this is why we saw education differently than Wadley.
-Olivia, Steven, Jackson, Ke (AMS)
Sokha, a young, Cambodian girl started her life living in the dump picking up trash every single day. They often wore only flip-flops on their feet; many had no shoes at all. Therefore, they may step on broken glass and hurt themselves. Sokha often dreamed about freshly, sharpened pencils and the clean, white school uniforms they wear everyday to school. One day, in 2008, an American photographer, Bill Smith, learned about Sokha. He asks her if she wants to go to school. Her face lights up when she talks about studying because she loves school and loves reading. So then, two years later, Sokha received a scholarship from Cambodia’s Children Education Fund and began attending a school called Zaman International School, which she made friends and has been enjoying school. Most kids today don't like school at all. They'd rather stay home and put their feet up and relax all day. But not Sokha. As she was picking up trash and stepping in glass, nails, and needles all day, other kids were at school. She didn't get that opportunity when she was little. Kids today should be grateful for the education they receive and should be more sympathetic about kids who don't have an education at all.
Our lives in Quincy are easy going. We go to school Monday through Friday and have the weekends off, we also have supermarkets to buy food and water, and we live in nice homes with families. We have it easy. Unlike girls like Sokha, they don't get food easily, they’re not able to go to school, and they don't live in a peaceful environment. School is a requirement in Quincy and in the United States. Most kids wake up on a Monday and complain about going to school and wishing they didn't have to go and just sit at a desk for hours on edge and listen to the teachers. We all value the things that are given to us differently because it's always been there. It’s the same with the mall, supermarkets, and everything like that are privileges. We have technology, clean clothes, hygiene, heat, etc., and we complain about more things that we don't have. We aren't thankful enough for what we have today and don't realize there is other kids who don't have anything we have.
Sokha lived in a poor environment where she had to go to the dump to get supplies to live. She had a house on the dump filled with many bugs and the air filled with smoke. The stench of the dump was unbearable. During the day, she searched for anything she could find useful. Most of the trash pickers, like Sokha, had no shoes to protect their feet from needles, nails, and broken glass. The ones who did have shoes had flip flops on. Sokha was an orphan; she had no place to go, but to work at the dump. She often dreamt of carrying a school bag filled with books, but in reality, she carried a trash bag. During the time she worked at the dump, she got very hungry and ended up digging through the trash to look for leftovers for lunch. Sokha didn't have supermarkets, malls, and couldn't go to school like we did. She thinks of school differently than we do because she was not able to to go. People today go to the mall to hang out and shop and socialize. Sokha didn't have that. She spent her time rummaging through trash, breathing in polluted air. With not even a shoe on her foot, she was stepping on all kinds of sharp objects. She couldn't even find food or water easily at all. While we can spend as much as a dollar on a bottle of water. Sokha didn't have it easy like girls today. And we should be grateful for every penny, every piece of clothing, and every year in school that we can get.
Sokha’s life is different from our life because we grew up going to school and we complain about it while she was out in the waste picking up metal or plastic parts so she could sell and make money from it. Moreover, she doesn’t even complain. She probably has to work or grow food. If we wanted food, there are convenience stores and we can go to supermarkets, however, her life is so different from ours. Most kids complain about going to school, but all day long all she wants to do is to hope that one day she can be wearing a clean school uniform and read every books she wants to read.
School has changed Sokha’s future in many different ways. Before Sokha went to school, she felt like her life was useless. Both her parents had died when she was young and she lived on the streets for six months. While picking trash from the dumps, she got many scars and cuts from hazardous mounds of rotting refuses, rusty nails, and broken glass. She has always wanted to carry school bags, not rubbish bags. Bill Smith, an American photographer, discovered Sokha while he was in the dump where Sokha was working. He got her into school. She was given a chance for a better life that no one in her family ever had, that meant it was very vital for her. In 2010, after studying and working assiduously, she received a scholarship. The scholarship put Sokha onto a path that helped her to achieve her dream of becoming a teacher. By going to school, her dream someday might become reality. She was determined to grow up and help children like her who couldn't go to school and who faced similar consequences.
It’s important for the film’s director to share Sokha’s story because there are many children in the world that is just like Sokha. Many children who are like Sokha, don't attend or can't afford to go to school. The meaning and backstory of the film clarifies that many girls in the world aren't treated like how they're suppose to be treated. Young girls even ages younger than ten, work every single day and can't complain about how substandard their life conditions are, because no one is lending a hand to help. It’s important to educate people all around the world about girls still not receiving the help and knowledge they need. We, the people who do get educated, need to acknowledge and help the girls out. The film’s director uses Sokha as an example to show the difficulties that girls/children are facing around the world. Sokha’s story defines the way of living for girls who live in poor areas with little food and shelter. The film’s director wants to show the tremendous amount of importance of giving a hand to the children in the world that needs assistance.
-Cindy, Jessica, James, Kaylee (AMS)
Sokha’s story had affected and not affected us in different ways. What we hadn’t known was that Sokha was going through the dumps looking for anything that could be useful and brought home to use. Sokha never dreamed of fame and fortunate but she always dreamt of going to school, which is unusual for most kids, she wanted to be able to read and write. Everything that she had wanted for herself was a normal thing that we needed in the USA it wasn't a rather or rather not decision.
Sokha had gone through many events in her life. She started off working at the dumps of Cambodia with her family. She always had thought of school, the environment the noise of the bells ringing, the touch of the books, pages turning and the sounds of her “friends”/ classmates laughing and chatting. She thought it would never happen, after experiencing what she did, in her lifetime
From our point of views we look at Sokha in different ways according to school and what we thought of it vs her.
Ellie: I always thought of school as a place to just socialize and wake up early to learn about things that you didn't know . I never thought of school fascinating and fun like Sokha did. I now feel that I should value school because most people don't have the option to learn, people such as Sokha. She's facing poverty problems and can't go to school although she really wants to.
Evan: At first, I know education was important but I didn't think everyone need it. Some people could just adopt their life and learn along the way, with experiences that they go through.
Andy: I didn't want to go to school at first I didn't know that they appreciated books so much and all they wanted was something so simple just to learn . We take it for granted , when other people around the world can use it the way they want to. Now I appreciate it everyday.
Lakhya: I didn't like school at first and really thought of it to be an opportunity to learn and meet new people as I see now. I always thought of it as a boring place where kids just wake up early, read, write, and learn boring basic stuff. Until I actually got to learn and experience on my own that it's a good thing, because it takes you on further in life and you get to know more and meet lots of new people. Although some classes may be boring, I appreciate it a lot that I know I have people around me willing to help and teach me new things I never knew before. And noticing around the world that other kids don't have what I have.
-Ellie, Evan, Andy, Lakhya (AMS)
ELA Wadley Group
Our group has very different thoughts from one another and Wadley. Wadley thought school as very important and a necessity while my group thinks that it is both important but boring. I think that school is needed but it doesn't teach us all the things we need in life because of the drop out rates. If they would teach us on how life is really hard other than holding our hand most of the time, maybe I would think school is important.
Wadley was a little girl born in Haiti who lived a life of helping her mom and going to school. One day the school was destroyed by an earthquake, but the school is not the only thing that was destroyed, almost everyone in Haiti was effected by the earthquake in some way, but some may not be as worse than others. As soon as the school was broken into many pieces Wadley then had to start helping her mother with more chores. Wadley soon found out the school re-opened and she was so joyful, until her mother told her she was not able to attend school, because her family did not have the money for it. Soon after she made a plan in her head where she would not take no as an answer and she would take her chances. She came into the new school everyday to have the teacher said she could not stay, until Wadley demanded to stay. She sat down and refused to get up. The teacher saw how determined she was and let her stay for the rest of class.
Wadley loves school and was determined to return. I think that it was important for her to go back because she knows that go to school is what she really wants so if she did not go back she will regret it. Her life without school would be hard because she loves going to would be hard because
-Yasmin, Joyce, Tai, Dennis (AMS)
Wadley’s Perspective
Every year natural disasters kill nearly around 90,000 people and affect close to 160 million people worldwide. Earthquakes cause buildings to collapse, hurricanes knock trees down, tsunamis flood cities, and tornadoes tear houses to shreds. Natural disasters only leave devastation in their paths. Although natural disasters alter a person’s life for the worse, the organization FEMA responds to these situations. During these situations FEMA decrease the fatality from natural disasters, however that only applies to the United States. FEMA is an organization that operates only in the United States. Therefore, other countries without FEMA face the most devastation and suffer many losses. People from other countries that suffered through natural disasters typically experience PTSD( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), depression, extreme stress, anxiety, or even mental illnesses. Furthermore, these people lose their homes, loved ones, and their belongings which they have to live through without. Also, natural disasters plunder the stock market causing their countries’ economies to collapse. Resulting for people to live in poverty with little help from the government. Furthermore, people that live through poverty have no money to send their children to school. Even though a natural disaster creates unbearable obstacles for many people a certain girl is determined to follow her goals.
Wadley, an eight year old girl from Haiti, sees this a chance to rebuild a better life. After a major earthquake struck her country in 2010, she was determined to help and was especially determined to try and go back to school. Wadley’s perspective on this devastating natural disaster was positive. She was always smiling, even though she longed to be in a classroom with her friends, learning about new people and places. Meanwhile, she walked with a bucket to get water for her family everyday. Wadley had nothing left except her family and the tent camp they were living in after her home was destroyed by the earthquake. But one day, a spark lit inside her. She realized she wouldn’t be able to go back to school unless she made it happen herself. Her outlook was determined and brave. The next day, she showed up where her teacher and classmates were - under a tent, sitting and working. But, after Wadley was told she had to pay to go to school, she didn’t give up. Even though she didn’t have any money for school, she just worked harder to get her education. She decided she would keep showing up until the teacher made her stop. Finally, the teacher let Wadley stay without paying anything. Wadley was still helping her family to rebuild, but she was doing it all while getting an education. Her story shows that if you never give up, amazing things can happen. While everything was expected to drag her down, she remained positive and brave. Her perspective never changed, whether she was fetching water or sitting with her friends learning lessons.
Since, we were born we grew up in a country that was in good wealth.While other children lived in poverty, working at the age of 12 or younger. What we do not notice is that we grew up with the privilege of education, while children in different countries worked for hours instead of learning. When Wadley goes to school she has a bright smile on her face. She feels joy and happiness going to school, while we think school is boring and miserable. After the earthquakes in Haiti, Wadley could not go to school and would only fetch water for her family. The earthquakes in Haiti were devastating, and lots of lives were lost and injured. Schools were in tents, with no doors. Although the country went through this tragedy, people could still have an evil intention. Wadley was melancholy, when she was told she could not go to school, because of her family's money situation. When the earthquakes happened people died, when Wadley could not go to school her smile died a little bit. There was hope, Wadley thought so, she went back to school and demanded to stay learn. What we can learn from Wadley, you can make something out of nothing. Natural disasters happen, however we have to think of the positives to get through it. We have the privilege to have education and sometimes we do not see that as a privilege. Any chance Wadley can learn she takes it. Her smile gets brighter as she is being fed knowledge.
The knowledge Wadley received every day from school intrigued her interest, it is what gave her such a bright smile. Before the earthquake in Haiti, she was a young girl who woke up in the morning and went to school. She had so much joy in going to school that when she went, she would always bring two bags of snacks with her. One bag was for her to eat, and the other bag was for anyone she befriended that day. Wadley liked to imagine beautiful, and vivid flowers in the field, however all that changed when the earthquake hit. Instead of being at school and being happy; she collected water for her family. Her smile disappeared once she had realized that she could no longer go to school. She longed to be sitting at her desk and talking with her friends. When she saw and heard students one day requoting from a book in the reopened school, she wanted to join them. She was so so excited and cheerful that she ran back to her mom. Her mom said that she could not go though because they did not have the money to send her. The bright and shining smile that Wadley had on her face turned into a deep sad frown. When she decides that she is going to go to school anyway, she gets kicked out. When she tries again, her old teacher who was teaching tried to kick her out again. Even though she was being told to leave, she told her teacher that if she kept being kicked out every single time she came she would come every single day to the school, unless she let her stay and learn. Her teacher was quite surprised with Wadley’s reaction, however she let Wadley stay and learn. As a result, Wadley’s dazzling and beautiful smile came back and was just as bright as her future.
The Earth is constantly changing for better and for worse. Natural disasters can happen instantly without warning or over a period of time. Regardless, how do we as Americans help the people who suffer from these disasters? We set up non-profit organizations and charities to aid them. We raised almost $1.4 billion to assist Haiti with the immediate effects of the 7.0 earthquake in 2010. One the organizations established during that grave time was Hands for Haiti. This organization continues to assist Haiti even to this day. Although, Haiti was devastated after the earthquake that hit its capital, Port au Prince, the people pulled through. Children, like Wadley, were longing for school and education. With these setbacks come a bright future if you are willing to fight. Although the makeshift school cost money, money that Wadley does not posses, she continues to attend. She wanted to learn. Wadley has a smile as bright as a million stars and is resilient and optimistic. Wadley has a bright future, just like many other children if they get education.
Eric, Karina, Kenny, Sara, Vanessa (AMS)
We are extremely fortunate to be able to grow up in a community where we can thrive in our education; however, in Haiti and other third world countries, some children, similar to Wadley, don't have the opportunity to go to school, let alone have simple education. Furthermore, while we may take our education for granted, many individuals who have been through a crises such as natural disasters, food shortages, financial struggles etc. may consider being able to go to school a blessing.
Despite how a treacherous event changed Wadley mentally and physically, seven-year-old Wadley looked at life in a different light than others in her community. Although it was a normal afternoon, on January 12, 2010, a horrific and significantly large earthquake struck, leaving many in Haiti without shelter and in poverty. Along with the hundreds of thousands of people who were impacted by the earthquake, Wadley and her family were forced to live in tents. In addition to our previous statement. Wadley could not attend school due to an issue regarding money. However, her resilience and perseverance worked against the negativity that surrounded her, and she refused to idly stand by while her classmates went to school. Finally getting her way, she was now able to attend school with the rest of her class because of her persistence.
When children go to school and are educated, they gain confidence and courage to help themselves, along with their family and the community. Hopefully, children who are less fortunate, or live in a third world country, can have the opportunity to learn, and help remove their families from poverty. For instance, Wadley, who has been in poverty, view school in a different way than many young students do. This is because she knows how precious a good education is, while many students who have been in school for their whole lives look at it as tedious. Wadley also has suffered through many tough times to be able to learn, which is another reason why it is very important to her to have as much knowledge as she can. One of the main things we have learned from this is students should see education as a way to improve the future; not something boring, but something enlightening.
On January 12th, 2010, a horrific and large earthquake devastated the small island of Haiti. This forced a tremendous amount of people to live in tents without money and food. A little girl named Wadley was affected by this. Although some children's perspective on school may view it as dull, Wadley’s perspective on school was a place to have fun with friends and to learn new exciting things. The only thing that held her back from going to school after the earthquake was money. For days she wasn’t let to join. Eventually, the teacher let Wadley join the class for free due to her numerous attempts in joining the class. With people struggling in different countries, whether they have food shortages, financial struggles, or no shelter, be thankful for what you have.
Ava, Victoria, Jake, Miguel, Elaine (AMS)
Sokha’s Story
The gift of education is a privilege that is taken for granted by those who have it. Education gives you the tools to build up to success; without it, there wouldn't be much to look forward to in life, as those who lack it are reminded on a daily basis. Education gives you the chance to accomplish your dreams and turn them into a reality. There is nothing too great to accomplish if you work diligently through school. However, this gift is extremely under appreciated by those who receive it. While those that are less privileged are forced to work hard everyday in atrocious conditions, children in school complain about having this opportunity without even giving a thought about how important it is. Education is not given to those who need it most; instead, it is given to those who don't appreciate it and who are most likely to throw it away.
Life without education would be a nightmare for people like Sokha who strive to obtain what we have. Sokha has lived and worked in piles of garbage, breathing in toxic air for years. The struggles that we face on a daily basis are nothing compared to what hers were. Imagine a world, full of people who live and work in poor conditions, who don't even realize that they will never receive new opportunities again. Parents and guardians all hope for the best for their children. They hope that their children will have excellent education and will make them proud. This pride is only able to be achieved through education. The thought of lacking education is absolutely frightening. As students in school, we have all experienced a moment when our light bulbs lit up. This, is what happens when you learn about something new and enjoy doing it. Education isn't just a privilege, it's an incredible opportunity that people all around the world deserves to have. People that get to receive this knowledge have already gotten a blessing. Without intellectual education, people would not have the ability to read or write. This can affect the future generations and how they raise their families.
Imagine your home. Home is supposed to be a place you can look forward going to at the end of a day, where you can get a nice dinner and sleep peacefully. It seems ideal and perfect for relaxing and letting your guard down unless you live with flies, maggots and mosquitoes in a literal dump. Smoke arising from burning trash choked the air of this dumpster, but this place was what nine-year-old Sokha called home. Sokha’s everyday life consisted of sifting through the piles of unwanted filth in search of anything they could salvage to sell for food and clothes. With only flip flops on her feet, if she was lucky, Sokha spent endless hours stepping on rusty nails, broken glass, and discarded needles, while children in America were attending school. When the garbage truck arrived “home” to unload more trash it would become a race between trash pickers to get there first and rummage through the new goods. As if living life like this is not difficult enough, Sokha also lost both her mother and father, surviving only on the support of sisters. Unlike a typical nine-year-old, Sokha carried a trash bag instead of a book bag and dreamed about school. After years of hard work, Sokha was rewarded by being able to live her dream: attend school. She was finally able to look through shelves of books that she so admired rather than sifting through what was thrown away by others. Sokha would not let this opportunity go to waste. She would work hard throughout her career in school.
Sokha is a great example of the people who need help to get their education today. Sokha need to receive help to go to school and they need supplies like basic necessities to help them with their daily struggles. For example, when Sokha was growing up, she and countless other girls could not go to school because they wouldn't have enough to survive if they didn't spend their days working.They would have to sift through the dumps and scavenge for any object that was worth something. However, by donating money to the undertaking families we can make sure that parents have enough money to not only send their boys to school, but their girls as well. If this succeeds, then the economies of developing countries could improve greatly because the educated young women would make a difference in their country. Taking the right steps in the right direction by donating can help out millions of struggling girls across the globe, and can leave an everlasting impact on everyone, not just these girls.
-Tiffany, Queena, Ciara, Subear (AMS)
Wadley Reflection
Public education allows many children to go to school, and seek knowledge. However, if there was no public education some children would not have the privilege to learn. Families would have to put their children in private schools, costing them more money. Money is a colossal problem in some families; therefore, school may have to be stripped away from the children to save money. If children could not attend school, they would feel melancholy and bored because school occupies their afternoons. Instead of sitting at home doing nothing, school keeps children active and makes their brain function. Also, unschooled students would feel envious towards those who attend private school, and enraged towards those who do not permit public education.
Our future depends on children receiving an education. Being an intelligent individual will lead to more opportunities. Young children forced to do grueling labor is in the past thanks to public education. Moreover, both wealthy and less fortunate students will be able to attend school. These students can perform divergent and well-paying jobs with an education. As a result, the economy would improve and at the same time, students could make advances in technology and numerous other fields. There are many systems in place that give children access and support for their education. One of these systems is the government, it passes laws, pays for equipments in the school, and numerous other things that ensures students to get their education. Another system, the government possesses is tax. Citizens purchase various items in store and the government adds an extra amount to the total. The government uses the tax money they receive to build more schools for more students and supply them with more materials. There are also foundations that help children who are not in school to enroll in one. Lastly, the school bus system transports students residing a great distance from school to the building effortlessly and promptly.
School made Wadley very happy. She loved learning, and she was good at it. Therefore, it was important for her to go back to school. Without being able to go to school, Wadley felt like there was something missing in her life all the time and she didn’t feel right. Wadley has a similar perspective as us on school, because we all love to learn. Learning brings us knowledge to help our futures. Our group had a different perspective than Wadley because unlike her we would be to scared to keep on standing up to the teacher like she did.
Throughout time people have been fundraising to help children and other people around the world raise money for many different causes. In our case, we believe the easiest way to help children like Wadley would be to donate and fundraise money to help build schools back up and contribute to their education. Students from different countries also come to the US to be “foreign exchange students”, based off our knowledge about that topic we believed it would be interesting for children like Wadley to come here and attend school with us. Many people may become depressed after natural destruction or any type destruction in their life,to help raise their spirits we could somehow show them that we are caring for them by actually going to where they live and help them rebuild. Any money donated now could also be towards school supplies and not only the rebuilding of their country.
AMS~ Chloe, Kelvin, Lauren, Marissa, Viktoria
In America, we take school for granted. Many of us look at school like a job and don't understand how lucky we are to get to attend school 5 days a week and 9 months of the year. After watching the video and reading about Wadley my views on school changed. This girl was so grateful when she went to school. When she had that taken away, her chances of being successful were not very bright and had nothing to look forward to. She fought for her rights and stayed in school even though people told her she couldn't.
Wadley loved school and was determined to return after the disaster to school. Her education was taken away by the earthquake. However, she loved school and missed being there, learning lessons, having homework, and the activities she did, such as hopscotch and jump rope. She missed her friends and classmates. Other girls in the country of Haiti weren't in school after the earthquake due to financial issues. Moreover, her living conditions in the tent camps were dangerous for her and her life without education was mundane and chaotic in the camps. Furthermore, thousands of people were crammed into space separated by flimsy dividers, with no sanitation, or security. Without school she walked back and forth with a bucket of water, wishing she was learning like she used to.
This problem may seem like it's far away, and we shouldn't worry about it, but try to put yourself in the people of Haiti’s shoes. If your country suffered a tragedy like this, wouldn't you want other nations and countries to help out? Other countries could help the government by sending resources or setting up fundraisers. They also could show commercials to raise awareness about this problem so people will know what is going on and be persuaded to donate. It is important to educate others on this problems and problems like this because we can change the world for the better.
In Girl Rising by Tanya Lee Stone, Sokha and many other children and people in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, live in and work in the hazardous garbage piles of the Stung Meanchey dump. Sokha’s story made my group realize that every day when we beg and plead our parents for the opportunity to stay away from school there are kids in other countries pleading and begging for things that seem like an expectation to us such as school, food, and a place to sleep. These things we take for granted are sometimes a blessing to those in other countries.
Furthermore, in Cambodia there is a higher rate of poverty than in other countries. In the U.S a child without shoes and a home working in a dump with discarded needles, broken glass, and rusty nails would not be likely ever. However, this story shows how Sokha dreams of an education and a normal life but instead sleeps at night in the dump piles and eats food from the garbage to help herself thrive on her own.
-Mya, Harry, Christian, Jimmy
Sokha
People these days take the things that they have for granted, unlike Sokha whose parents died and had not grown up going to school, she appreciates everything in life like her education. Sokha’s mother died when Sokha was very young so her father and her sister had to take care of Sokha together. All of them had lived on the streets for 6 months. Sokha’s father had later died leaving Sokha and her siblings as orphans therefore, Sokha and her sister had to live and work in the dumps. The dumps was the only solution to their problems. They looked for metal cans, silver spoons, and many valuable things they needed. They were careful to not step on broken glass, rusty nails, and used syringes for if they did they would get severely injured. Sokha dreamed of freshly sharpened pencils and shiny white uniforms instead of broken useless pieces of metal and plastic. Due to all the tragic things that happened to her life she met Bill Smith, an American photographer, who had been to Cambodia many times and heard stories about Sokha’s hardships. Bill had taken photos of people in the dumps including Sokha who stood out the most to Bill. After Bill had met Sokha she got asked if she’d want to attend school, her answer was obvious and from there on out she had a successful life.
Sokha’s troubles impacted lives of the students around us because we are constantly going to school and that’s what our lives revolve around. We have this opportunity every day yet many children don’t take it serious enough to pass a class. Students like us are forced to go to school while children living like Sokha believe education is a privilege. Although Bill Smith had already made her story iconic,the fact that she gets to attend college makes her story even more incredible. If we could help boys and girls around the world that are going through what Sokha went through we’d suggest fundraising and donating our time and money to them as well. Us as a group feel that education should be an option for every child out there and that although we might not realize it now, education is important and our life decisions are based off of it.
-Tyler, Megi, Max, Metehan (AMS)
There was this girl, named Sokha who thought her life was useless. Before having her education, Sokha and her dad work at the dump for six months looking for food and other materials, like metal spoons, cans and other things to survive. They don't have a stable home. They sleep on the street. She already experienced many hardships in life. Her mother died when she was little and her father couldn't find work and died from not known reasons, so then a man saw her at the dump one day and wanted to help children like her and made money to send her to school, which she dream about since then. She started school and in 2010, she received a scholarship from Cambodia's Children fund and from there, she had a chance for a better life.
It is hard to believe that a lot of children in Cambodia live in the dumps but there is a way that we can help the children get caught and back on there feet and into the Cambodian society, we can start a fundraisers to aid Cambodia and it's people. We could also start with forming a charity for the children and donate money and help them go to school for free. As for Sokha, she loves to go to school yet some students take school for granted. They don't think how lucky they were to actually come to school.
We don’t know what our futures will bring us. And as for Sokha, she had an opportunity to have a better life, to have a better future. She could find the job that she wants. As we all know, she wants to be a teacher, so she could help children that would really love to go to school but doesn’t have enough money to attend so. Based on her experiences, she knows what other children feels because she felt that too when she wasn't able to go to school. She could go to college if she would continue to study intently and could receive a scholarship. And so she could pursue her dream to be a teacher.
-Joy, Xavier, Sebastian, Emily (AMS)
Some people who go to school in the U.S. take it as something that they're forced to do. Sokha never got the opportunity to have that chance to go to school because of her standards and situations at that time.
Sokha was not able to go to school when she wanted to. This was because she was very poor and couldn't pay for it. She was working at the dumps in Cambodia and she and her family were only making $6 a month and that wasn't even close to enough to attend public schools in Cambodia.
In the beginning, I felt that she was lucky not being able to go to school, because some of us wake up and dread going to school that day. Now I think that we take it for granted and that we should appreciate going to school more because there are people who will never even get the chance to go to school and get an education like most people end up having.
Almost everyone in the US are attending school/have attended school, but a lot of people around the world can't attend school due to money issues or schools being destroyed and them not ever building it again. Sokha really wanted to go to school but couldn't. People were there to do research on people there and they noticed a few girls and people who wanted to be educated and talked to them all about their lives and situations. Our lives consist of waking up and expecting to go to school every morning and other kids around the world excluding the U.S. wake up and do chores or wake up and remember how they went to school and now they can't because of where they're placed, financially and physically. Maybe some of them don't care but I bet most of them do because think of us, most of us, if we didn't go to school or couldn't, our lives would 100% be totally different because if people in the house were so uneducated that they can't read or write, not a lot would be happening in the house, no one could read directions to maybe cook or something or understand what people are saying in case of an emergency. Their lives are most likely like that everyday and all they can probably think about is waking up one day and being able to get themselves to school without thinking about if their parents payed for you to go or if you're actually able to.
-Cullen, Molly, Christina, Leah (AMS)