No Mountain High Enough

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Shannon Galpin at a boys' school in Afghanistan
Photo courtesy of Mountain to Mountain

At the recent Ursuline College Alumnae event titled "Breaking Barriers," speaker Shannon Galpin shared a story that, on its surface, was simple and touching. On a trip overseas, visiting with a group of women who didn't speak English, she communicated mostly through an interpreter. Before departing, Galpin received a simple hair ornament, which her new friends used to sweep Galpin's blond hair back from her face. A kind gesture, universal among groups of women, but uncommon because of where it happened: In a women's prison in Afghanistan, where some women serve sentences for the "crime" of being raped (though they are the victims, the charge is adultery).

Galpin, who is executive director of nonprofit organization Mountain to Mountain, says that she doesn't cry during her periodic visits to Afghanistan, where she works to improve access to education and economic opportunities for women. The incident in the prison, however, brought tears to her eyes, though she has faced more frightening scenarios in her travels. Mostly, she focuses on the metaphorical "mountain" of work to be done. "I founded Mountain to Mountain to not just instill projects, but to break stereotypes, and look beyond traditional fund-raising and project development - or the feel-good factor - towards real empowerment. Not just for women and children, but for entire communities." She shared her experiences with a captivated audience during the Breaking Barriers event at Landerhaven, only days after returning from another trip to Afghanistan.

Mountain to Mountain uses a cyclical approach to address issues that currently have Afghanistan ranked last in the world for quality of life. By offering education, the hope is that a domino effect will improve the day-to-day lives of many of the country's struggling citizens, and open up a world of options to the country's women. "Education is the first step towards empowerment, freedom and access to choices," says Galpin. For example, the maternal death rate in Afghanistan is the world's second highest, with one woman dying every 30 minutes. One in four children die before their fifth birthday, many during birth. The overwhelming majority of these deaths could be prevented with assistance from a skilled birth attendant who knows basic sanitation and simple medical procedures. Mountain to Mountain approaches the problem by educating local women in rural villages during intensive, four-week training programs. With this simple, short-term training, women help keep their communities healthy, earn more money to support their families and gain the respect of their husbands. Follow-up visits in areas where women have received this training reveal that more local girls are being sent to school, because their fathers can see the value of educating them. "Even Taliban don't want their women to die," says Galpin. "They want their children to be healthy."

At Ursuline, where women enjoy the freedom to choose any career path and level of education imaginable, Galpin's words carry significant weight. "In a country like Afghanistan, lack of education means submission and a giving up of control over one's own life." Still, women and girls who have access to education often undertake it at their own peril. Galpin shared a story of several girls who were victims of an acid attack while walking to school. Yet, these same girls still attend school in spite of their experience and ongoing risk. "These girls and women realize the way out of their own situation and the way for the country to move forward as a whole is to fight with their blood for the right to not only be educated, but to use that education to create changes in the fabric of their society."

For more information on Mountain to Mountain, visit the website or blog; to learn more about upcoming Ursuline College events, click here.