Every day across the world, thousands of women are laboring to make a difference and transform their world. We call them and bring them here each month to share their story and their experiences with you.

December 2008: Mitty Steele, World Bank

Sisters4Peace:

Tell us what you do and what you are most proud of:

Mitty Steele:

I am a Communications Associate for the North American Affairs team at the World Bank Group in Washington D.C. Our team seeks to foster understanding of development issues and engage Americans and Canadians in a dialogue about international development and the World Bank Group. As part of my work in North American Affairs, I am responsible for reaching out to young people in North America and getting them interested and involved in development.

To that end, over the last two years I have been working with American and Canadian youth to create a Youth, Development and Peace Network in the US and Canada. YDP Networks aim to create direct interaction among youth organizations, the Bank, and other partners, to facilitate active youth participation in projects, policy design and youth advocacy for development. We started the formation of this network through a Youth Open House in 2007 when we invited young people from across the US and Canada to visit World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C., to engage with Bank staff and their peers on how we can work together to address development challenges.

To date, YDP networks have been formed in over 13 different countries and I’m proud to say that a YDP US/Canada network will soon be launched with a Chair and Co-Chair soon to be appointed. The network will provide an avenue for young people in the US and Canada to engage with the World Bank on development issues, but more importantly, it will enable them to connect with each other and be part of a global network of likeminded youth who care about equitable and sustainable development.

Sisters4Peace:

What do you believe is the most pressing issue facing girls around the world today?

Mitty Steele:

I believe that lack of access to education is one of the most pressing issues girls around the world face today. Though enrollment has risen due to the mandates of the Millennium Development Goals, there is still much work to be done. Research has shown that providing girls access to education improves a country’s social and economic development. Girls who are educated (who ultimately turn into women) are more likely to have less children thereby lowering the infant/child & maternal mortality rates, less likely to have HIV/AIDS, enhance the country’s skilled labor force thereby enabling them to contribute to household income. More importantly, providing girls access to education can break the vicious cycle of poverty because educated mothers will pass on the importance of education to their children, particularly and hopefully to their girls.

Sisters4Peace:

What is your vision for confronting this issue?

Mitty Steele:

The simple vision would be to provide universal primary education, particularly ensuring that girls receive that education. This is easier said that done since there are many cultural barriers that prevent this from occurring. The international community has recognized the importance of educating girls and is working on ways in which to address this issue at the policy level and at the implementation level. However, it is the grassroots organizations that are on the ground, which work in the community that can be most useful in ensuring this vision is realized, one girl at a time.

Sisters4Peace:

What inspires you to change your world?

Mitty Steele:

I am originally from Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world. Cambodia has been over the past 30 years been in a state of economic, physical, and emotional transition. In the last decade or so, Cambodia has enjoyed relative political stability, which has enabled the country to move forward in economic development. However, many deep seated issues such as corruption, socio-economic inequality, weak rule of law, disproportionate distribution of economic development, human trafficking, child exploitation, and more, remain deeply embedded in Cambodian society and remain an impediment to Cambodia’s economic and social growth. More importantly, like many post conflict countries, Cambodia struggles to come to terms with it’s traumatic past.

Going back to Cambodia for the first time in 2004, I saw the dichotomy of a country that desperately wanted to move forward but still held on to its past and saw first hand the true meaning of poverty. I realized I was deeply blessed to come to the United States and be given all opportunities that I would not have otherwise, if I had grown up in Cambodia. Thinking about that on a daily basis and all the youth whose talents and abilities are boundless, but are constrained by lack of opportunities inspires me to try to change the world so that no should be denied to be all they can be because of where they were born.

Sisters4Peace:

What other organizations or individuals making a difference do you admire?

Mitty Steele:

Truthfully, I admire the youth that I work with, the ones who are extremely passionate about their ideals, who start their own organization and motivate other youth and adults to care about what’s going on in the world. I have come across so many dynamic youth who are doing amazing things. They reaffirm my belief in their potential and hope for the future. They are the ones who are essentially changing the world as we speak. I admire their innovative ideas, dedication, passion, idealism and perseverance. To me, they are the role models in which we ought to follow their spirit.

Sisters4Peace:

What advice do you have for girls who want to transform their world but don't know how to start?

Mitty Steele:

Many people (adults and your peers alike) will tell you that it’s hopeless, because there are so many problems in the world, and that one person cannot make a difference. Everyone in this world was born with a talent, noticeable or unnoticeable as it may be to others. Every human being has the ability to touch the life of another human being through individual acts of kindness. It is the way we interact with each other that changes the world one person at a time.

DO YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THE WORLD?