An Inspired Model or a Misguided One: Oprah Winfreys Dream School for Impoverished South African Girls
This case is about Oprah Winfrey, the woman of substance who is the ultimate rags to riches story of her era. It precisely started in December 2000 when Oprah promised Nelson Mandela to build a facility for the disadvantageous girls. The roots of the idea also trace back to a particular personal realization of Oprah herself, she was not very happy in giving away huge sums of money in charity. This pledge of hers to build a $40 Million school originally stemmed from this realization of getting actively involved in real charity. Oprah had been minting money as one of the most popular TV Hosts, and she envisioned a school for competent but economically
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Her idea was rooted in the conviction that from the ranks would emerge new girls who would enable the making of “the country of new beginnings” – as she put it. The initiative drew massive criticism as well, apart from genuine praise. The critics challenged it on the grounds that the project had depth but lacked breadth; that it was a huge and lavish investment for just a handful of the populace. The edifice which started operating on January 02, 2007 told the world that the selected girls were Oprah’s daughters and that they were safe with Oprah, even safer than they would be in their own homes. The critics said that the initiative was so much for so few; Oprah insisted that it was so much for the deserving ones – those who had earned it by proving their potential. It was also lamented by words such as ‘Vanity Project’, and critics said that in a sea of poverty offering help to select few girls is not at all appropriate. Some claimed that she has built the school for herself, to satisfy herself. However, Oprah’s very own words at the end of …show more content…
However, the explanation of this statement as a response to the question would entail delving deeper into the personal history of Oprah Winfrey as the mastermind of this initiative. Her own life experiences are a great determinant of the design of the project. The belief in the transformational prowess of education is also her hard earned conviction. Oprah was born in 1951 to a couple which was out of wedlock. Her rearing up was done amidst extreme poverty, sexual assault, problems of shelter, and it did not stop there for she also suffered from teen pregnancy and gave birth to a baby at the tender age of fourteen. To top it all, her baby died in infancy. This was the ugly part of her inspiration, the beautiful bits found comfort in her relationship with her grandmother from whom Oprah truly learned to love reading and recitation. This helped her with her oratory later in life. The background of Oprah explains the feminist flare in her, and gives reasons for her focus on Girls only with her Leadership Academy initiative. This, however, does not eliminate the need for an equally good setup for South African
The author of the book talks about starting a nonprofit organization called Girls Education and Mentoring Services (GEMS) because she was a victim of child trafficking but she was able to break free from her past and start up her organization so that she could be advocate for girls going through what she did. This book is Rachel’s memoir and recounts events in her life that led to her becoming the person she is today.
In the 1960s, Girls Inc. focused on homemaking skills, with the hopes of turning the girls into exceptional young ladies. Then in the 1970’s, a new executive director came on board and took a critical look at the organization’s mission of educating girls into...
Raquel and Melanie are two poverty stricken students that attended University Height’s High School in the South Bronx, because their school was not federal funded, it lacked resources; so it does not come as a surprise, perspective students like Melanie and Raquel have more of a ...
As Kenyan mother once said, “My dreams don’t look exactly like I thought they would when I was a little girl” (nd). Jacqueline Novogratz, a modern philanthropist, understands this better than most. A typical American girl, she found herself in Africa, helping women with no voice in their world. She never planned for this growing up, but her leadership, determination, and new way of looking at the world was in her from the beginning.
Lola demonstrated the disparities of our school system, as she is from an impoverished neighborhood with a school that hindered the progression of her education. Lisa demonstrated how community influences individuals and impoverished communities often cause young members to perpetuate their parents socioeconomically situation. However, some influences, such as church communities, can have strong positive impacts on their lives. Both girls demonstrated the importance of guidance and advocate in one’s life. Lola through her troubles in the school system, and Lisa through receiving guidance through the church. Both girls have been greatly influenced by their parent’s socioeconomic status and restricted from their full potential, causing them to fall into only slightly better situations than their parents. They are prime examples of the cycle of issues in our society, and the reason that we need to make a
Winfrey’s early life was filled with arduous hurdles from the beginning, she was raised in a small podunk town in Mississippi that was anything but safe for a young girl, but on top of that she was raised by a single mother who was not around nearly enough. However the most formidable part of her upbringing was, she was sexually abused by ‘family friends’ and relatives on multiple occasions starting from the age of just nine. At twelve she was sent away to middle Tennessee to live with her father, there she realised her passion, she began giving speeches in front of her church and ultimately came to the conclusion that she wanted to speak for a living. Without her parents divorce Winfrey might have never figured out her passion of speaking to people until it was too late, this was a hidden advantage in the making of her success. However all too soon she had to leave the comfort of her father’s home where she could pursue her interest and journey back to her mother, where she was sadly yet again
"Global Partnership for Education." Girl's Education. N.p., 09 Oct 2013. Web. 19 Nov 2013. .
Free the Children is a charity that aims to develop a sustainable way for youth in third world countries to have access to basic rights such as food, shelter, and education. It empowers youth to join programs, help raise awareness, and create change for the less fortunate (Wingrove, 2010). The organization was created by Craig Kielburger in 1995 at the age of 12 with 11 classmates from school (Kielburger, 2006). Over the years Free the Children has been responsible for building over 650 schools in over 45 countries, and took in $15,683,212 in Canada alone during the 2009 fiscal year (“Results and Impacts”). Craig Kielburger exemplified extremely strong leadership qualities from a very young age, and continues to do so to this day. Along with his brother, Marc Kielburger, created a very strong set of principles that allows their organization to flourish. Craig Kielburger’s strong leadership qualities drive him to strive for revolutionary change and this directly results in the organizational success of Free the Children, which is admired worldwide.
I gulped. This was clearly not a good start to my family’s first night as permanent staff members at Rancho 3M Orphanage in Guadalupe, Mexico. I had found myself sitting in this cinderblock structure (the only blonde-hair, blue eyed girl for a solid 200 miles) on account of my parents. They had not just decided to merely move our entire family away from our hometown, but they had decided that as a family unit, we would trade our cushy, country club lifestyle to work in an impoverished area of Mexico, caring for children who had been abandoned. We all yearned to provide for them a hope and a future: a chance for an education. To be more than just street smart. To have their existence mean more than knowing which gang is better to commit their life to. My family desired for them to be book smart.
...e getting equal benefits. By pooling together efforts, various positive outcomes will result. By either micro financing an educator, allowing easy transfer of foreign goods, or unifying charities, both poverty and lack of education will be combated. These methods will allow for nurturing environments for children to succeed.
Winfrey has brought so much change to the world that one cannot just write a simple paragraph about. She has used her platform to discuss topics that are truly life changing such as Weight Issues, Reading, Give Big, and Taboo. Topics about weight have always interested the public, and Oprah was one individual who discussed it for the world to put their input in. She has talked about her own weight and made it clear how diet and exercise is important for the body. She strived to put the message in people’s ear’s that being healthy is what’s right. The next topic is reading, and this came from her “Oprah 's Book Club”. Oprah has always believed that reading is a fundamental skill and she wanted others to hop on the bandwagon and expand their knowledge. She started this book club for many reasons and it surely brought change to society. Give Big is the next topic of discussion and this changed society in a positive way. In 1997, Oprah wanted her viewers to make a difference in other people’s lives by donating their spare change. Shortly after that, she transformed that into the charity known as “Oprah 's Angel Network”. This charity was a huge success and has helped a lot of individuals in need. The final topics that will be discussed are taboo topics such as abuse, infidelity and addiction. These types of topics are what made Oprah Winfrey’s show such a success. She was so open about her childhood and other obstacles she had to face in her life that people began to trust
This group is amazing, they have taught local citizens predominately women to set up and wire solar panels (enough to power their complete college area), build parabolic chef-less cookers and use them cook enough food for 60 meals, twice a day. They collect enough water to last through 4 years of drought through the design of their roofing and college area. Their students have been invited across the world to train others similarly. They train members of the college who they expect to stay in the area, normally this means grandmothers and mothers.
Despite progress in recent years girls still suffer a lot of disadvantage in education systems. While gender equality in education remains a crucial issue for many countries women still account for two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population. Estimated thirty one million girls of primary school age and thirty four million girls of lower secondary school age were not enrolled in school in 2011. (http://www.UNICEF.org/education/bege-61657.html) Girls’ education is both an intrinsic right and a critical lever to reaching other development objectives says UNICEF. Girls’ education is important to the achievement of quality learning. Girls who have been educated are likely to marry later and to have smaller and healthier families. Educated women can recognize the importance of health care and know how to seek it for themselves and their children. Education helps girls and women to know their rights and to gain confidence to claim them. However, women’s literacy rates are significantly lower than men’s in most developing countries. UNICEF recognizes the opportunities provided through girls’ education and it supports governments in the reduction of gender discrimination through interventions at national, local and community levels aimed to empower girls. As we look towards 2015 and beyond, UNICEF continues to take a more transformative approach to girls’ educ...
Schools were established to teach students the means of survival in preparation for a global economy. Education’s major objective today is to help increase our economy and prepare our students for future jobs. However, the progress of our public school education system in the 21st century has declined over the years. Other countries have exceeded our American Education system, especially in the areas of reading and math. Poverty stricken areas and minorities are being deprived of receiving a good quality education. Instead, only the fortunate and the lucky students are able to receive a good education. Families apply for the lottery scholarship in hopes to be accepted to a charter school as the key for to receive a good quality education.
Herz K and Sperling G., What Works in Girls' Education: Evidence and Policies from the Developing World. New York, NY: Council on Foreign Relations. 2004. Print.