Carla Blackmar

Paul Hawken speaks so eloquently to this point on Dumbo Feather podcast (please listen!)  Education for girls is a route to self-determination, to their being in charge of their own future.  When girls are in charge of who they want to be, they can keep their own counsel about the 'right' number of children, the 'right' balance of work and home life, the 'right' person to marry.  This is incredibly important, because when women are in charge, they often select family sizes that are in keeping with the resources their future children will need.  When resources are scarce, many choose smaller families.  Smaller population sizes can reduce the human suffering caused by a warming, hotter, drier world.  I was really happy to donate to the Malala fund to increase educational opportunities for girls worldwide!

As a mother of young children myself, I know both the joy and the burden that caring for children presents.  I had the fortune in my own life to be able to decide when to have children, with whom to have children, and how many children I wished to have.  This has given me the opportunity to complete my education, start a career, and be engaged in my community--all of which would have been immensely more difficult if I hadn't had access to reproductive choice.  I believe that children and parents benefit from reproductive choice, and that this incredible gift should be accessible to all.  I am happy to have donated to ipas.org as part of the Drawdown Eco Challenge 2018.  IPAS works with community-led efforts around the world to provide access to safe abortion and contraception.