Since the Taliban has banned education for girls 7th grade and above, one teacher is determined to keep inspiring her students, and she’s doing it with this book.
The Taliban has banned girls 7th grade and older from going to school, but one teacher at the Zabuli Education Center, an all-girls’ K-12 school in Deh’Subz, Afghanistan, is determined to keep her students inspired - and she’s doing so with one certain book.
The Water Tree Way, foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall - is about a 10 year-old girl, whose mother was a casualty of war, and has now embarked on a fantastical story of adventure. With determination, perseverance, and a quirky wit she finds that staying steadfast in one’s beliefs anyone can achieve anything.
Author, Ruth Mendelson, film score composer and professor at Berklee College of Music, along with award-winning documentary filmmaker, Beth Murphy of Principle Pictures, conspired together to get the book overseas to Nazaneen, a teacher at the Zabuli Education Center. Their intention is for her to use it to keep hope and inspiration alive in the minds of these young girls. All three women felt strongly that bringing The Water Tree Way to the girls studying at Zabuli is a step forward, just as the girls have faced several steps backward in their quest for education.
In late April, Murphy herself traveled to Afghanistan to document how the K-6 grade school is continuing to thrive in the face of adversity. She found that The Water Tree Way has become a spark, keeping the fire for learning and adventure burning for these young girls.
The author, Ruth Mendelson, is a film score composer and the first woman at Berklee College of Music to teach in the Film Scoring Department. She has created musical scores for Dr. Jane Goodall’s documentary, among many others.
Find the latest book review for The Water Tree Way on the TODAY Show parenting blog.
Ruth Mendelson is available for interviews, and can be contacted at https://www.ruthmendelson.com/contact-ruth
