School is Easy Tutoring company founder Susan Cumberland and her daughters, Rai-Ann and Alana, were honoured to be guest speakers for Human Rights by Global Girl Power in support of United Nations at Robson Square on Dec 10th. Also present at the event was Amnesty International, as well as Harjit Sajjan (Canadian Minister of National Defence).
Thank you to Lucky Gill, the founder of Global Girl Power for this opportunity. Susan and her daughters spoke about the importance of education for girls and how lucky we are in Canada. In many parts of the world girls are denied an education. Some girls are forced into marriage or prostitution in their early teens. We must bring together communities to initiate activism, dialogue and awareness of this injustice.
We asked Susan some questions about her experience at the event. Here is what she had to stay:
Why did you decide to bring your daughters to this event?
My daughters wanted to come. They believe strongly that all girls should have equal opportunity for education. Rai-Ann, my oldest daughter was abandoned at birth because she was a girl.
How do you think kids in Canada can make real change for this issue abroad?
They need to be aware. Join rallies and events. Make themselves heard. Speak up.
Do you think this issue affects us locally as Canadians too? If so, how? How can we work to change this?
Our message was to make Canadian girls realize how very luck they are to be in Canada where girls are given equal rights for education. Education for women is crucial. It protects them from vulnerability and helps them gain financial freedom. Women must make their own money and not rely on any one else to take care of them. Pregnancy and divorce can happen. If they don’t have a career they could find themselves trapped in an abusive relationship.
What lessons did you learn from speaking and attending this event that you didn’t know before?
I learned that there are so many compassionate people who really care. It’s comforting. We see a lot of selfish acts of violence in the news. This event gave us hope. There are a lot of good people in the world.
Was there anything you wanted to say in your speech, but weren’t able to, given time or other constraints?
There is a lot of unfairness in the world and I am so grateful that there are organizations like the United Nations and Amnesty International that bring people together for the greater good.
