All too often, you hear politicians and activists talking about the challenges facing young girls in the developing world. And that's not surprising - it's normally the politicians and activists who can call the press conferences, write the newspaper articles, or get quoted in the press releases and reports. And these people make good and important points about how girls are discriminated against in many parts of the world, face higher barriers to education, rape and child marriage perils, and are sometimes excluded from important rights like owning property. Living in poverty is hard enough as it is, but for girls it's an even worse situation.

It can all be a bit depressing.

But this video cheered me right up. It's an opportunity to see seven young Zambian girls speaking for themselves. They're confident, articulate, and full of energy and hope for the future. They're aware of the injustices that face them, and they're determined to not just sit back and be defeated.

Girls who get the chance to go to school can discover things like this, and if their communities empower them to have their own voice, their potential really shines through. This sort of video reminds me of why we're fighting for girls and women to have more control over their lives... they've got so much to offer!

(Also, if you're struggling with the Zambian accents in the video, don't let it defeat you! There's a "subtitles" button you can click in the bottom right hand corner of the video after it has started playing.)
This video was taken a few weeks ago by the Keepod team at the Mitobo girls school (Kalulushi, Zambia). Keepod, the $7 PC, is providing tools that enable people to independently create better futures for themselves and their community. This is a real life result of how access to free (as in freedom) information can empower people.

You can protect the rights of girls and women around the world by signing the petition in TAKE ACTION NOW.