To spread awareness about education inequality in Afghanistan while inspiring younger children to pursue math, La Cañada High School’s Omid for Girls Club hosted a Math Night event at Paradise Canyon Elementary School May 31. Club members helped about 60 kindergarteners through sixth-grade students from PCY, Palm Crest Elementary and La Cañada Elementary solve various math problems at the event.
The students moved along a life-sized “Chutes and Ladders”-style board as they solved math problems. Snacks were provided, and prizes were awarded to the winning groups.
Omid for Girls Club pairs female high school tutors with girls living in Afghanistan who are not allowed to attend school past sixth grade. The Math Night was one of many outreach events the club has conducted in attempts to raise local awareness about the issue while encouraging younger community members to become excited about math and recognize their privilege to freely pursue education.
Omid for Girls officers Sophia Lee, Zoe Petropoulos, Tessa Choi, Hannah Kim, Yasmine Martinez and Rocio Castro, along with eight additional LCHS high school volunteers from the club organized the event, and club adviser Karl Geckle supervised the festivities.
“Through this event, we were not only able to make math fun for the elementary students, but also encourage teamwork, creative thinking and problem-solving skills,” Lee said. “It was also really nice to go back to PCY and host this event, where I had attended for seven years!”
The nonprofit Omid for Girls was founded by Lee in 2022 to help girls in Afghanistan continue their education after the Taliban takeover. The organization also aims to empower Afghan girls through friendship with similarly aged girls living across the world. The organization now has 10 chapters in the U.S., Korea and Australia with more than 100 tutors.
“The generous donations we received from parents will be used to fund internet access for the Afghan girls who are in our tutoring program,” Lee said. “For reference, $30 provides eight weeks of internet access for each student.”
To learn more about the organization or make a donation, visit OmidforGirls.org.
First published in the June 6 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
