This week will be the first anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on the then 15-year old Malala Yousafzai, whose crime was to speak out for the rights of girls to receive an education. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman on the school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. Malala, undefeated by the assassination attempt, has inspired us all, speaking at the United Nations and now nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
St Mary’s Calne girls have also been doing their bit to support the rights of girls to receive an education, by taking part in Plan UK’s ‘World Wide Walk.’ Plan’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign aims to support four million girls to stay in education and fulfil their potential. At least one in five adolescent girls around the world is denied an education by the daily realities of poverty, conflict and discrimination. Every day, girls are taken out of school and forced into work, or married off to strangers where they risk isolation and abuse. Missing out on school can mark the end of a girl having any choice over her own future.
On 11th October 2013, nominated by the UN as ‘International Day of the Girl’, Plan UK, in conjunction with the Girls Schools’ Association (GSA), have asked schools across the UK to come together to walk around the world, 40,075km, to raise £200,000 for Plan’s projects working to support girls to be able to complete their education. To show their solidarity, St Mary’s Fourth Form girls, Headmistress Dr Felicia Kirk, along with some of the staff (in total 80 people) took part in an 11km walk on Sunday 6th October.
The girls set out on the National Cycle Route from Chippenham to Calne, full of enthusiasm. The weather was beautiful (a fabulous example of a stunning autumnal day) and the path went through some scenic Wiltshire countryside. There were lots of things of interest to see en route, including
the site of the disused Black Dog Halt railway station, Bowood Lake and The Bowood Estate and a delightful bridge over the river with a viewing platform. The girls also enjoyed stopping at the blackberry bushes along the way!
It was a lovely, relaxed walk – the girls had a lot of fun and entered into the spirit of the event by waving their ‘Plan UK’ wristbands. Headmistress Dr Felicia Kirk commented: “St Mary’s Calne girls are proud that they have been able to contribute to raise the profile of girls’ rights to receive an education, which is sadly still not the case in many countries. As an all-girls school we feel strongly connected to this campaign. The plight of Malala is truly shocking and serves as a reminder to the girls of how fortunate they are to live in a society where their rights to an education are not questioned. St Mary’s girls have high aspirations for themselves and share Plan UK’s vision for a world where education is accessible to all girls.”
At the end of the walk the girls gathered back at school for some well-deserved refreshments and cake, tired but invigorated by the afternoon’s exercise and happy to have contributed towards Plan UK’s World Wide Walk.
Open Day at St Mary’s Calne: Saturday 16th November 2013.
Call 01249 857200, email admissions@stmaryscalne.org if you would like to attend.