A New Path

Written for Michelle Sims, CEO, YUPRO Placement

Sometimes fate steps in to set you on a new path. ☀️

That's how I feel about the day I met Mariana Sanz de Santamaría Franco.

It was at a Harvard Kennedy School WAPPP board luncheon where students are invited to join the board lunch for networking and development. Mariana, a fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education, sat next to me and opened my eyes...

She shared her story of being a teacher in Colombia and how her young female students would react to getting their period. They would skip school thinking that they were dirty, that their menstruation was something to be ashamed of.

Mariana explained that there is no sex education in Colombia. The country's leadership fear the power women would have if they understood their own bodies. Without education, young girls are often sexually abused and pulled into the systemic cycle of teenage pregnancy and poverty.

This pattern is not exclusive to Colombia. It exists worldwide and in corners of our own country. And in my own home.

I adopted a sweet Latina baby girl, born to a 15-year-old who didn’t know she was pregnant until soon before the birth, which by the grace of God was brought to us. 💕 So, you can imagine the impact that Mariana's stories had on me.

Determined to break this cycle of silence, Mariana is teaching young girls to know their bodies, speak for themselves and their rights, and to live their own sexuality freely through her non-profit Poderosas. Meaning "powerful," Poderosas delivers comprehensive sexual education in marginalized communities in Colombia while breaking down barriers of shame and confusion.

If you believe in this mission, as I do, I invite you to take the following steps: 
☀️Listen to an episode of the Inside Global Girls' Education podcast to get inspired by Mariana.
☀️Visit Poderosas’ website to learn more about their mission. 
☀️Speak with your dollars and donate! I did, and I do!

Thank you, Mariana, for your inspiration, dedication, and grace.