Christiane Amanpour, World Vision Promote Women's Education at 10x10 Gala
Influential women from around the world gathered in New York City Wednesday evening to help promote the 10x10 campaign, a global action initiative aimed at encouraging women's education.
Wednesday evening's gala, which was held at the Paley Center, was hosted by CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour and World Vision, a Christian relief organization addressing issues of poverty and education globally.
The gala was held on the eve of International Day of the Girl, a U.N.-sponsored awareness day meant to advocate the importance of girls' healthcare, education, and economic opportunity in all nations.
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"The 10x10 campaign launch happening on the first International Day of the Girl is the start of a powerful movement that World Vision eagerly joins to spread the message that educating girls can change the world," Holly Frew, media relations manager for World Vision's U.S. branch, told The Christian Post Wednesday night.
"World Vision staff and communities around the globe are participating with 10x10 International Day of the Girl events in Nepal, Uganda, India, Cambodia and Ethiopia. As a 10x10 partner, we are part of a dynamic coalition that is not only raising awareness about the need for girls' education, but also drawing attention to the work we do on the ground through the extraordinary stories being told of girls in Ethiopia and India in the 'Girl Rising' film," Frew added.
The 10x10 campaign began when a group of ABC News journalists at the Documentary Group and Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Productions decided to create the film "Girl Rising," directed by Richard E. Robbins, and which follows the life story of ten girls living in ten different countries, overcoming cultural and economic odds to pursue their education.
The film is narrated by actresses Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez, among others. Ten critically-acclaimed female writers also helped with the script of the film.
Holly Gordon, the executive director of the 10x10 campaign, told those attending Wednesday's event that the reason the initiative is centered around a film is because it serves as a "platform for story-telling."
Christiane Amanpour, the host for the evening's gala, told the audience of over 100 women that the women portrayed in this film prove "they are fighting back, they will not be silent, and they will not be terrorized."
"[This issue] is personal for everyone here," Amanpour stressed.
"The message is simple yet profound: if we educate girls, we can change the world," Amanpour continued, because "schooling has become an insurgent activity in so many places."
Other influential women who spoke at Wednesday's gala included Rosalind Hudnell, the global director of education and external relations for the Intel Corporation, Marie Arana, senior consultant to the U.S. Library of Congress, and Shabana Basij-Rasikh, managing director of School of Leadership, Afghanistan.
Today, on the International Day of the Girl, villages, towns, and metropolises around the world are celebrating the importance of educating women through festivities, lectures, and gatherings of all sorts.
Along with the 10x10 campaign, other organizations focused on female empowerment are also participating today by raising awareness across the globe. These organizations include the Nike Foundation's "Girl Effect" and the U.N. Foundation's "GirlUp" campaign, to name a few.
