GOLDEN - Especially when times are tough, it is so easy to forget about the thing we have and the freedoms we may take for granted. The freedom of an education is one of the most precious and invaluable gifts an American citizen will ever receive. Half a world away, thousands of women in Northern Tanzania are not given the opportunity to learn beyond the equivalent of a middle school education. A majority of them are married off before high school, becoming one of many wives. It's a lifestyle that's prevalent throughout the Masai Culture.
It is within that context where a Colorado charity is aiming to change villages and future generations in Northern Tanzania, one woman at a time. Seven years ago, Ashley Shuyler of Golden created AfricAid, a charity working to provide African girls with educational opportunities. The non-profit charity has raised more than $500,000 to help train teachers, provide supplies and support African women with scholarships.
"The power of having an education in a place like Tanzania is almost unfathomable," said Shuyler, 23. "Oftentimes you could say it's a life or death matter, because these girls are able to learn about health, nutrition, and other skills that help them raise healthy families, particularly in the context of what's going on right now with AIDS and Malaria."
Last spring, Shuyler traveled to Tanzania to work on an ethnographic documentary film, which she is screening this weekend at the Starz Film Center at the Tivoli. In the film, Shuyler interviews a woman who received help from AfricAid through scholarship. That same woman is now hoping to attend college to be a teacher and share her lessons with villages and future generations.
"There's a lot of research that shows girls that do go to school are not only more likely to get a job and additional income for their families," said Shuyler, "they are also more likely to send their own daughters to secondary school. It ends up being a snowball effect throughout the entire country." The film "Somebody Like Me" will screen on Sunday at the Starz Film Center at the Tivoli, located at 900 Auraria Parkway in Denver. The documentary will show at 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, although donations will be accepted for artwork crafted by African women.
For more information about AfricAid and Sunday's screening of "Somebody Like Me," log onto: http://www.africaid.com/
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