25 Jun Susan and 40 girls know the Value of an Education

Susan had a dream for her future. A dream of being a doctor.

One day she would give her neighbors the medical care they lacked because no doctor ventured to their remote African village. But dreams only get you so far.

The reality was that the only school for miles around was too full. Susan was the 41st name on the waiting list at Kisaruni -an all girls high school in the Maasai Mara, but there were only 40 spaces for students.  On the first day of school, 40 girls gathered outside the school, excited to begin their new adventure. But then a 41st girl arrived … Susan.

The principal asked why Susan had even bothered to show up. Susan replied, “I received your message that I wasn’t accepted into school, but I couldn’t believe it. I had to see for myself.”

The principal shook her head and said, “Susan, I’m sorry, but we only have room for 40 girls.”

The students saw the tears that fell from Susan’s eyes. Each girl knew that it was only by chance that she wasn’t the 41st girl … facing life without education, with no voice and no future, only back-breaking poverty.

The students whispered back and forth, and then one girl spoke up. “Please don’t make her go away. We’ll make room for her. We’ll move our beds together and share desks and books. Just let her stay!”

Those 40 girls sacrificed the little they had for Susan because they could see the future. And for girls like Susan, the 41st girl who is denied an education, there really is no future.

For the sake of Susan and every “41st girl” in our world, please help the Unstoppable Foundation give every student an opportunity to attend school. Because every boy and girl has A Right to Learn.

NEWS FLASH! I’ll be meeting Susan when I visit her school next month, and bringing you an update in August. Stay tuned!

With love and appreciation,

Cynthia Kersey

Bestselling author, “Unstoppable”

www.unstoppable.net
Chief Humanitarian Officer
Unstoppable Foundation
www.UnstoppableFoundation.org