It is hard to imagine my life without access to education.
November 10th is my birthday. Of the 35 years that I’ve been alive, I have spent about 2/3 of them in some kind of school…elementary, high school, college and graduate school twice. I assume both my son and my daughter will take a similar path.
Not once did anybody dare to suggest that because I am a female, I should not be educated.
Not so for much of the world.
In addition to being my birthday, November 10, 2012 is exactly one month from the day that Malala Yousafzai, a 14 year old girl in Pakistan, was brutally shot in the head for promoting girls’ education.

Shot.In.The.Head.

Give it a minute to sink in.

How can we stand by when all over the world, millions of children, especially young girls, are being denied access to even the most basic of education?

It’s so simple to help. It doesn’t even cost you anything.

There is an easy petition that you can sign online for to call in Pakistan to agree on a plan to educate all Pakistani children .

On November 10, Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown (UN Special Envoy for Global Education) and his wife Sarah will deliver the petition to the Pakistani president.

Education is power, and we simply cannot let this continue.

I wrote this post as part of the Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of Mom Bloggers for Social Good members who focus on maternal health, children, hunger, and women and girls.