Let’s face it, most of the Western made films about educating girls as a means of combating poverty (even when inspiring) are pretty predictable. They’re mostly promotional pieces like what we set out to make. Shanta’s death has compelled us to move this conversation to the next level.

We tackle that level by going inside Shanta’s family’s day to day life. This UN video below makes it look like a simple decision to send a girl off to school– like it is a matter of just the family making up their mind that it is the best thing to do. It does not mention the weight of hunger, financial stress and deep discrimination.

The costs of opportunity.

Hmmm…

The BMKF pays for women in Nepal to go to college. It is THE ONLY NGO doing this. Less than 3% of women in Nepal go to college. Pretty amazing.  Having all of the BMKF recipients in the same room together to film these interviews was such a trip. You could seriously feel the empowerment. The Bo M. Karlsson–doing really good work. Support them!

As I was waiting in line at customs tonight I was thinking, this is exactly what I want to be doing right now. I am arriving in a new country I know very little about. I am going to show a film I have worked so hard on and has barely seen the light of day. I get to talk to people for entire weekend about the subject I care about most– girls’ education. And specifically, Shanta and her family. I get to share her story with people I am pretty sure are really going to listen–who really care.

For those of you who don’t know, Shanta was one of the main subjects of Three: Impressions from the Struggle for Girls’ Education. Shanta, who was a powerful force–determined to become a doctor in order to return to her village to teach the girls and women about family planning, committed suicide just over a year ago.

This shocked everyone. Her family, friends, teachers…us.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for women in Nepal ages 14-49. True story. In the last few years, suicide has eclipsed death during childbirth as the #1 cause of death.

Scott and I returned to Nepal this last winter to try to figure out why and to see how her family is doing. It was the biggest experience (and I am fairly certain I can speak for Scott here as well) of our lives. I thought I knew a fair bit about poverty. I would go as far to say I felt I understood it in some intellectual way, at least. Well, staying with Shanta’s family threw me for a loop. But more on that later….

Now I am here in Singapore. I’m here to share our new footage and to begin telling the story of Shanta. Before I left, I had a friend and fellow editor, Dina, look at our latest footage, which is still very new and raw. Her remark afterward as she wiped tears from her eyes was, “Shanta is as powerful dead as she was alive.”

I don’t know if this is what Shanta would have wanted–to have her story told to UNIFEM. But my best guess is, she wouldn’t mind.

I want to thank Debby Ng who is the one who turned UNIFEM on to our work with girls’ education. She is an amazing Singaporean photographer. I met her in Nepal last winter and we pretty much hit it off BIG TIME. She can’t make it to the festival because she is photographing migrating birds. How cools is that?

Oh, here is a picture of my mom seeing me off at the airport–the Voice of Reason!!! (She is currently the mascot for Sound Transit.) I love to see my mom’s size finally match her BIG personality.

My new favorite picture of me.

Rama works in the little guest house my friend, Kristin, and I stayed for a few nights in Bandipur, Nepal. She cooks and cleans.  She doesn’t have all that much English and I have hardly any Nepali.  We overly “Namaste-d” to compensate— knowing if we spoke the same language we would have a lot to talk about.

After a long hike in the hills, Kristin and I moved some chairs from the guest house restaurant into the sun and Rama brought us tea.

Rama asked me to guess how old she was. I thought I was really being conservative by saying 27. I was sure she must be in her 30′s. But no, she told she was twenty-five and with two daughters. One is 11 and one is 10. She busted out all her English now.

Me married. 13. Chitwan (a region hours away)

(she shakes her head as if to say, “I know, criminal right?”

Divorce.

New wife.

Me. No house. No see daughters.

Me work Bandipur. Very difficult.

No house. No see mom. No see daughters. No husband.

Daughters husband house.

Nepali culture no new marry.

(Rama looked at me right in the eyes for a long time. Then  let down her gaze. She changed her painful tone to one of conversational optimism.)

America? America is beautiful?

I got the feeling all her English is reserved for her story. These tourists coming through this small town are her only hope.

Later on our hike up to see the sunset I daydreamed about visas and South Seattle Community College with all its English and immigration classes and taking Rama to the airport.

What would it take to rescue her?

I know I could… and I can’t, but what will happen to her if I don’t?

What is my responsibility?