15. It was a room full of boys. A girl, about 10 years old, was sitting in the centre She was the the only girl among the boys. Her girl friends had to stay at home because they were not allowed to go to school.
The girl, Shameem, was born in a small village. It was a tradition to keep girls inside their home in Shameem's hometown. Luckily, Shameem's uncle, wanted to gave her a chance to see the world. So he offered Shameem a chance to attend school. However, to go to college, she went on a three﹣day hunger strike (抗议).
After leaving from college, Shameem got a job in a non﹣profit organization (非营利性组织). It offers help to women in poor areas. There, she saw what women were experiencing. Some women had 11 children, but nothing to feed them. To get water, they would walk three hours every day to wells. Shameem found her experience could encourage more people to understand the importance of schooling and send their daughters to school.
Now, Shameem teaches in a school in her village. "The first day I walked into the school, " she said, "I saw all these little Shameems looking back at me with dreams in their eyes, the same dream of freedom which I had when I was young. "