Exporting democracy
is a concept I have, as a student, just recently been exposed to. It is the idea that an intervention to export democracy can directed toward communities that, although authoritarian, guarantee their citizens’ security. (Opendemocracy.net)
I relate this, in my mind, to many aspects of my life (or many things I involve myself in). Most recently I can relate this concept to an initiative I started back in the states, most popularly know as the “Mission Possible: Keep Girls In School” movement. A movement that literally exports a good to promote wealth and Health in a different part of the world. Giving people opportunity they wouldn’t normally have. It started on the basic idea that I cannot (and will not) sit Idly by while my sisters across the planet do not even have the opportunity to receive the education that I do.
It all started a few years ago while learning about the adversity faced by other girls around the world. I brought the subject up to my GirlScout troop one night and they instantly jumped on board to make a difference in these girls lives. The plan was to make comfort kits — kits of reusable washable menstrual pads for the girls to use.
It was the simple fact that girls in Kenya had to drop out of school once they hit puberty that broke us. They did not have access to the right supplies to be able to leave home during their time of the month. Having to miss school an entire week each month left the so behind that they had to drop out. Therefore they where forced into marriage earlier, leading to pregnancy before their bodies are ready, raising the maternal mortality rate in their country. It was an entire snowball effect of misfortune. We had to make a difference.
I met with many public officials from both the US and Tharaka-Nithi Kenya to make this happen. After many weeks of sowing and organizing we shipped over 200 comfort kits to a school in Kenya.
The letters we received back from the girls were so heart warming. To quote one: “…we used to use old mattress and old sheets. We had to miss school. Because of your kindness we can not keep up in school and not drop out. When I grow up I want to study to become surgeon to help people just as you are doing Joni. Thank you. Yap Joni Yap.”
It’s amazing how us here in America could even the playing field by allowing them the education they deserved. Now she can go in to be a surgeon. We gave her that.
That is the entire ideology behind exporting democracy. We gave them (through other means) education. Allowing them the opportunity to go even further to pursue higher education to even one day compete with us in the job market of the world economy https://youtu.be/JMNxXZf0bXI.
