Watch Kids' Reviews of
EDUCATE GIRLS

see adult comments

Educate Girls immediately grabbed my attention with its beautiful animation and a riveting and touching story about a mother whose baby girl has to walk for over an hour to get to school. The girl's mother, Safeena Husain is founder and Executive Director of Educate Girls, an women's organization in India whose members travel to villages throughout the country to ensure that girls are receiving an education. Safeena discusses statistics about Indian girls and mentions something that still shocks me - "We live in a time where a goat is an asset and a girl is a liability." The message that I took away from watching this film is to be grateful that I was fortunate enough to receive an education and had the resources to ensure I stayed in school. I am inspired by Safeena's actions and my hope is that one girl will see this film and will want to take action and fight for equality.

What is most appealing about this documentary is learning about people all around the world fighting for women's rights and women's education. This film is incredibly inspirational and teaches audiences about the obstacles that women in India face on a daily basis. I believe children will enjoy this film because it makes you appreciate the resources you have been given and reminds you not to take our life for granted. The structure of this film flows well and is easy to follow. The concepts and vocabulary used are appropriate for the target audience. Younger kids may find some of the words mentioned in the statistics at the beginning of the film to be challenging. The sound quality throughout the film is superb. Right from the beginning this film is incredibly visually appealing, starting with its gorgeous animation. The live cinematography is also visually appealing and the individual interviews have superb lighting. The background music is wonderful as well. The locations in this film are remote and fascinating to see. I recommend this film in a heartbeat for any children's film festival. I am so impressed by this five minute documentary and its ability to "pack a punch" in such a short amount of time. By screening this film at a festival, my hope is that it will reach at least one member in the audience to go out in the world and make a difference. I recommend it for ages 9 to 18 and give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Reviewed by Chandler D. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST! Jurors.

In recent years, India has enacted policies and invested in girls' education, resulting in dramatic gains in access to education. However, in many areas, community expectations and accountability for educating girls remain low--a majority of girls do not complete their primary education. Safeena Husain founded Educate Girls to ensure that girls in India's most marginalized rural communities are able to achieve their full potential. Educate Girls partners with public schools, trains local champions for girls' education, and mobilizes communities to create their own action plans to make education more accessible and accountable to girls. Since 2007, Educate Girls has grown from a 50-school pilot project into a large-scale effort reaching 1 million children in 7,500 schools. Educate Girls is preparing a generation of young women to enter the formal economy and help lift their families out of poverty.