Let Girls Learn

Right now 66 million girls are missing from classrooms. When girls are young, they are often seen merely as children, but when they start to develop into women they are suddenly subject to their societies' partialities around gender. It is at this moment when they begin to fall behind in their education. All girls should be given the opportunity to gain the skills and confidence to succeed. They should not be treated as property, but instead as individuals with their unique voices, talents, and freedoms.

When a girl is kept from maximizing her potential, it is a loss not only for that particular girl, but also for her family, community, and country. 

I believe that empowering girls, keeping them away from violence, providing them with education, and later, employing them as women, is one of the best ways to ensure that societies thrive and don't fall behind in a global economy. 

I had the incredible honor to have this piece showcased in the De Young Museum in their Open exhibition from October 2020 to January 2021.

– Samanta Tello