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| Sunday, 10 October 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Sri Lankan teenager chosen for women's delegation to Africa Insiyah Nomanbhoy, 17, a Sri Lankan/American teenager studying at Castilleja Girl's High School (A-levels), in Palo Alto, CA, USA, was recently selected by Save The Children, an International Charitable Organization, to be a teen representative on their Women's delegation to Ethiopia and Uganda. In March 2004, Insiyah and her fellow students at Castilleja raised $17,000 for Save The Children by doing a multicultural Dance Benefit. That money was used to build a school with a well in Ethiopia in the Woliso District. Why a well in a school? Water, the most basic of human needs, is a very scarce resource in Ethiopia, one of the poorest nations of the world. The responsibility of getting water for the family's daily needs falls on the young girls, and this can take up to 8 hours each day! Building a well in the school encouraged young girls to attend, and take their precious water home at the end of the school day. Girls attendance at a school with a well now equals boys. The purpose of the delegation is to have an open dialogue and learn ways to empower the poorest women of Africa. Insiyah wrote in her pre-trip journal: "Women have primary responsibility for children and family all over the world. By giving the poorest women just a little help, whether in the form of money or information or goods or food or even water, the women will 'save the children'." Africa today is ravaged by AIDS and poverty, orphaning many children and putting them at great risk. " Every one of these children have a death warrant, and all they did was to be born" writes Insiyah. Insiyah and the other delegates will visit the new school, and build connections with students and teachers there. Working with female government, community and professional leaders, they will formulate Programs to provide empowerment for the poorest women in Ethiopia and Uganda. Insiyah is sharing her experiences with teens all over with a daily journal through www.YouthNoise.com/Save, a website connecting and creating awareness in teens. Before embarking Insiyah wrote "Kids are rarely taken seriously and encouraged when they want to make a difference, but we have so much to offer just because we're young, smart and motivated. I hope that I can motivate other kids just like me to build connections and strive to make a difference in this world we live in." Insiyah will lead efforts for more fund raising to build another school with a well in Ethiopia over the next few months. Insiyah competed with many girls to be selected for this delegation. She wants to attend Stanford University or MIT starting next year, and then go on to medical school. Since she was 5, Insiyah has wanted to become a paediatrician and help little kids who can't afford healthcare. Last summer, Insiyah worked as a volunteer art instructor at the Chitra Lane School for handicap children in Colombo. Insiyah Nomanbhoy was recently profiled on the front page of the Living section in the San Jose Mercury News, a world-class California newspaper. www.mercurynews.com Sept 30, 2004. To learn more about the Women's Delegation and Save the Children, go to www.SaveTheChildren.org Insiyah's parents, Munira and Shabbir Nomanbhoy, are currently in Colombo, Sri Lanka on a business trip, and may be reached at 2583457 for additional information, pictures and videos of Insiyah's trip. |
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