Una classe plena de nens. Una nena, amb prou feines, de nou o deu anys, està asseguda al mig de la classe, entre llibres. És l'única nena entre els nois, a penes troba a faltar les seves cosines i amigues que són a casa en comptes de ser a l'escola, perquè no se les permet rebre educació amb els nens. No existeix cap escola de nenes funcional en el seu poble.
A room full of boys. A girl child, hardly nine or ten years old, she is sitting in the center of the room, surrounded by books. She is the only girl among boys, and is barely missing her female cousins and friends, who are inside the home instead of the school, because they are not allowed to get an education alongside boys. There isn't a single functional girls' school in her village.
Va néixer en una tribu convervadora Balutxi, on les dones i les nenes són qüestió d'honor. És la més gran de la família, i tot just abans de néixer, els pares volien un nen. Van tenir mala sort i els va néixer una nena. Era habitual en la seva família que les nenes es quedessin a casa. Però el seu oncle, graduat universitari, volia donar-li la possibilitat de veure el món, de ser part de la societat. Per sort, la nena té un nom que pot ser d'home o de dona. L'oncle va veure la possibilitat de canviar el curs de la seva vida. Així que la va criar com un nen.
She was born in a Baloch conservative tribe, where women and girls are a matter of honor. She is the eldest in her family, and when she was about to be born, her parents wanted a baby boy. But they had bad luck; a baby girl arrived. It was customary in her family to keep girls inside the homes. But her uncle, who was a university graduate, he wanted to give her an opportunity to see the world, to be part of the society. Luckily, she has a name that can be used for both men and women. So he saw a chance to change her course of life. So he decided to raise her as a boy.
Als tres mesos d'edat, va passar de ser nena a ser nen. Se li dóna roba de nen. Se li permet sortir a fora i rebre educació amb els nens. És lliure, segura. Observa, i nota les petites injustícies de cada dia que pateixen les altres dones i nenes del seu poble. Quan el diari arriva a casa, veu com es passa de l'home més gran al més jove. Quan les dones, per fi, agafen el diari, ja són notícies passades.
At three months old, she went from being a baby girl, to baby boy. She is given a boy's getup. She is allowed to go outside and get an education alongside boys. She is free, she is confident. She observes, she notes small, everyday injustices faced by women and girls in her village. When newspapers arrive at her home, she watches as it passes from the eldest man to the youngest man. By the time women get hold of the paper, it is old news.
Acaba el segon curs de secundària. I comença a arribar la por. Aquest serà el final de la seva educació, perquè l'única opció de continuar els estudis és a cinc kilòmetres de distància. Els nens tenen bicicletes. Són lliures. Sap que el seu pare no li permetrà viatjar sola, encara que fingeixi ser un noi. "No t'ho puc permetre. I no tinc temps de portar-te amunt i avall. Ho sento. No és possible." Ella s'entristeix. Però ocorre un miracle. Un parent llunyà s'ofereix a fer-li les classes dels dos cursos següents durant les vacances d'estiu. I així va poder completar els estudis. La nena de qui us estic parlant sóc jo, Shameem, qui us parla ara a vosaltres.
She completes her eighth-grade year. Now fear starts to come in. This will be the end of her education, because the only option for high school for further study is five kilometers away. Boys have bicycles, they are free. But she knows her father will not allow her to travel on her own, even if she were posing as a boy. "I can't let you do that. And I don't have the time to walk you there and back. Sorry, it is impossible." She gets very upset. But a miracle happened. A long-distance relative offers to teach her ninth- and tenth-grade curricula during summer vacations. This is how she completed her matriculation. The girl whom I am talking about to you is me, Shameem, who is talking before you now.
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)
Al llarg dels segles, la gent ha lluitat per la seva identitat. La gent ha estat estimada, privilegiada gràcies a la seva identitat,
Throughout centuries, people have been fighting for their identity. People have been loved, privileged, because of their identity,
nacionalitat, etnicitat. Una vegada més, s'ha odiat i negat a gent degut a la seva nacionalitat, identitat, raça, gènere i religió. La identitat determina la teva posició a la societat, no importa on visquis. Si se'm pregunta, diria que odio aquesta qüestió d'identitat. A milions de nenes en aquest món se'ls neguen els seus drets bàsics pel fet de ser dones. M'hi hauria trobat jo mateixa si no m'haguessin criat com un nen. Estava convençuda de continuar els estudis, aprendre, ser lliure. Després de l'escolarització, entrar a l'institut no va ser fàcil. Vaig fer una vaga de fam de tres dies.
their nationality, their ethnicity. Again, people have been hated, denied, because of their nationality, their identity, their race, their gender, their religion. Identity determines your position in society, wherever you live. So if you ask me, I would say I hate this question of identity. Millions of girls in this world are being denied their basic rights because of being female. I would have faced the same, if I hadn't been raised as a boy. I was determined to continue my studies, to learn, to be free. After my schooling, even enrolling in college was not easy for me. I went on a three-day hunger strike.
(Riures)
(Laughter)
I se'm va donar permís per anar a l'institut.
Then, I got permission for college.
(Riures)
(Laughter)
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)
D'aquesta manera, vaig completar els meus estudis. Dos anys més tard, quan va arribar el moment d'anar a la universitat, el meu pare va posar tota l'atenció als meus germans petits. Necessiten anar a l'escola, trobar feina, ajudar a la familia. Com a dona, el meu lloc era a casa. Però no em rendeixo. M'apunto a un programa de dos anys per ser assistenta sanitària. Em vaig assabentar del programa de desenvolupament rural Thardeep, una organització sense ànims de lucre que empodera comunitats rurals. Em vaig escapar. Vaig viatjar 5 hores per l'entrevista. És la primera vegada que sóc tan lluny de casa. Mai he estat tan a prop de la meva llibertat. Per sort, em van donar la feina, però la dificultat és encarar-me al meu pare.
In that way, I completed my college. Two years later, when the time came for me to go to university, my father turned his eyes, his attention, to my younger brothers. They need to be in school, secure jobs and support the family. And as a woman, my place was to be home. But, I don't give up. I sign up for a two-year program to become a lady health visitor. Then I hear about Thardeep Rural Development Program, a non-profit organization working to empower rural communities. I sneak away. I travel five hours to interview for a position. It is the first time I am the farthest from my home I have ever been. I am closest to my freedom I have ever been. Luckily, I got the job, but the hardest part is facing my father.
(Riures)
(Laughter)
Els parents ja l'espanten dient que la seva filla marxarà, bromegen dient que creuarà la frontera. Quan arribo a casa, no vull res més que acceptar la plaça a Thardeep. Aquella mateixa nit, vaig fer les maletes, vaig anar a l'habitació del meu pare i li vaig dir, "Demà al matí arribarà el bus. Si creus en mi, si creus en mi, em despertaràs i em portaràs a l'estació de bus. Si no, ho entendré." Vaig anar a dormir. Al matí, el meu pare estava al meu costat per portar-me a l'estació.
Relatives are already scaring him about his daughter wandering off, teasing him with talk of his daughter crossing the border. When I return home, I want nothing more than just to accept the position in Thardeep. So that night, I packed all my things in a bag, and I walked into my father's room and told him, "Tomorrow morning, the bus is going to come in. If you believe in me, if you believe in me, you will wake me up and take me to the bus station. If you don't, I'll understand." Then I went to sleep. The next morning, my father was standing beside me to take me to the bus stop.
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)
Aquell dia vaig entendre la importància de les paraules. Vaig entendre com les paraules poden afectar els nostres cors, com les paraules tenen un paper important a les nostres vides. Vaig entendre que les paraules poden ser més fortes que les lluites. En el programa, vaig veure un Pakistan que no coneixia, un país molt més complexe del que m'havia pensat. Fins llavors, pensava que havia tingut una vida difícil. Però allí vaig veure el que patien les dones d'altres parts de Pakistan. Em va fer obrir els ulls. Algunes dones tenien 11 criatures i no les podien alimentar. Havien de caminar tres hores diàries per aconseguir aigua dels pous. L'hospital més proper estava a 32 kilómetres. Si una dona va de part, viatja en camell per arribar a l'hospital. Hi ha molta distància; pot morir durant el camí.
That day, I understood the importance of words. I understood how words affect our hearts, how words play an important role in our lives. I understood words are more powerful than fighting. At TRDP, I saw there was a Pakistan which I didn't know, a country much more complex than I had realized. Until that, I thought I had a difficult life. But here, I saw what women in other parts of Pakistan were experiencing. It really opened my eyes. Some women had 11 children but nothing to feed them. For getting water, they would walk three hours every day to wells. The nearest hospital was at least 32 kilometers away. So if a woman is in labor, she travels by camel to get to the hospital. The distance is great; she may die on her way.
Per mi, ara això s'ha convertit en més que un treball. He descobert el meu potencial. Ara que tenia ingressos, enviava diners a casa meva. Els familiars i veïns ho van veure. I van començar a entendre la importància de l'educació. En aquell moment, alguns pares ja enviaven les filles a l'escola. A poc a poc, era més fàcil i acceptable que les noies anessin a l'institut. Avui, no hi ha cap nena que no vagi a l'escola al meu poble.
So now, this became more than just a job for me. I discovered my power. Now, as I was getting salary, I started sending back money to my home. Relatives and neighbors were noticing this. Now they started to understand the importance of education. By that time, some other parents started sending their daughters to school. Slowly, it became easier and acceptable for young women to be in college. Today, there isn't a single girl out of school in my village.
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)
Les noies treballen a la sanitat fins i tot a la policia. Era una bona vida. But en algun lloc del meu cor, veia que la meva regió, més enllà del meu poble necessitava encara més canvis. Va ser el moment que vaig unir-me a l'organització Acumen. Allà vaig conèixer líders com jo d'arreu del país. I vaig veure que arriscaven les seves vides. Vaig començar a entendre què significa realment el lideratge. Vaig decidir tornar a la meva regió i vaig començar com a professora en una escola llunyana, hi he d'anar amb bus, dues hores de viatge, matí i tarda. Tot i que era dur, el primer dia vaig veure que havia pres la decisió correcta. El primer dia que vaig entrar a l'escola, vaig veure tot de petites Shameems mirant-me
Girls are doing jobs in health sites, even in police. Life was good. But somewhere in my heart, I realized that my region, beyond my village needs further change. This was also the time when I joined Acumen Fellowship. There, I met leaders like me across the country. And I saw they are taking risks in their lives. I started to understand what leadership really means. So I decided to go back to my region and take a position as a teacher in a remote school, a school that I have to reach by bus -- two hours traveling, every morning and evening. Though it was hard, on my first day I knew I made the right decision. The first day I walked into the school, I saw all these little Shameems staring back at me --
(Riures)
(Laughter)
amb somnis als ulls, el mateix somni de llibertat que tenia de petita.
with dreams in their eyes, the same dream of freedom which I had in my childhood.
Les nenes volen aprendre, però falta personal a l'escola. Les nenes s'asseuen esperançades, no aprenen res, i marxen. No puc suportar que passi això. No hi havia marxa enrere. Vaig trobar el meu objectiu. Vaig aconseguir que alguns amics meus m'ajudessin amb les classes. Introdueixo a les meves nenes al món exterior amb activitats extracurriculars i llibres. Els ensenyo els perfils dels millors líders mundials, com Martin Luther King i Nelson Mandela. L'any passat, algunes de les estudiants van anar a l'institut. Jo mai he acabat d'estudiar. Avui, estic fent un doctorat en educació
So the girls are eager to learn, but the school is understaffed. Girls sit hopeful, learn nothing, and they leave. I can't bear to see this happening. There was no turning back. I found my purpose. I enlisted a few of my friends to help me to teach. I'm introducing my girls to the outside world by extracurricular activities and books. I share with them the profiles of the world's best leaders, like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Last year, a few of our students went to college. For me, I never stop studying. Today, I'm working to complete my PhD in education --
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)
que em permetrà tenir una funció directiva en el sistema escolar, i podré prendre més decisions i tenir un paper clau en el sistema.
which will allow me to gain a management position in the school system, and I will be able to make more decisions and play a pivotal role in the system.
Crec que sense educar les nenes, no hi haurà pau mundial. No reduirem el matrimoni infantil. No reduirem la taxa de mortalitat infantil. No reduirem la taxa de mortalitat maternal. Per això, continuament i de manera col·lectiva, hem de treballar junts. Almenys faig el meu paper, tot i que la destinació és llunyana. El camí no es fàcil. Però tinc somnis als meus ulls, i ara no miraré enrere.
I believe that without educating the girls, we may not make world peace. We may not reduce child marriage. We may not reduce infant mortality rate. We may not reduce maternal mortality rate. For this, we have to continuously and collectively work together. At least I am playing my role, though the destination is not close. The road is not easy. But I have dreams in my eyes, and I am not going to look back now.
Gràcies.
Thank you.
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)