Kelli Believes

Today's post is from my favorite local blogger, Kelli. Her blog, African Kelli, is incredible and you should all be reading it.

Oh, by the way, she also wrote a great book that you should definitely add to your 2011 reading list. 

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I believe in the power of words. Words can wound, heal, cause laughter and tears, bring goose bumps to the back of your neck, a shiver down your spine and a rumble in your belly. 

It is with these words, that I believe a good book can be a friend on a lonely night, a traveling companion on a long ride, something to stick under a wobbly table leg, a reason to spend countless hours in a bookstore, a prop for a child just a wee bit too small for the Thanksgiving table, and a reason to trek to Egypt to see the greatest library of the ancient world. 

With words in books that fuel imagination, I believe all children should have a chance at a great school. In much of Africa, the lucky boys and the even luckier girls attend schools with dirt floors, limited space and expectations that are humiliatingly high. The importance of boys and girls in school, with books in hand and the power of the written word in their hearts-is a belief that fuels me. 

I believe girls especially should go to school-without the restrictions of uniforms, book expenses or any of the other bogus fees that often keep them away. I believe girls who learn to read, write and think critically become women who are selective of their mates, have high expectations and are better mothers, teachers and leaders. These are the women who will change the village, the nation and the world for the better.

I believe a healthier future for families globally starts with girls who are taught to read. Girls who learned to love words. 

In this, I believe.

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Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful words and incredible photos, Kelli.