Pam Allyn, the founding director of LitWorld, a 501c3 non-profit organization devoted to spreading the belief that words can change worlds through teacher training, school development, and the empowerment of children, tells the story of a girl she met while she was working in Liberia last year. Visit http://www.litworld.org for more information.

1. I want to tell
you the story
of the little girl
you see here.

3. She learned
every line of
the hokey pokey
in two minutes.

4. Bumping over dirt roads full of rain water,
we visited schools

5. Bumping over dirt roads full of rain water,
we visited schools and talked with
teachers doing courageous work with
their students in circumstances of
heartbreaking deprivation.

6. In the afternoons, the rains came
streaming down,

7. In the afternoons, the rains came
streaming down, the backdrop to
the incredible stories the
teachers shared,

8. In the afternoons, the rains came
streaming down, the backdrop to
the incredible stories the
teachers shared, stories of war
and catastrophe, hope and joy.

10. My little dear played outside the window
and we waved at each other all day long.

11. My little dear played outside the window
and we waved at each other all day long.
Her smile was warm and delighted.

12. My little dear played outside the window
and we waved at each other all day long.
Her smile was warm and delighted. The
specter of a statistic crowded my mind:
two-thirds of all girls in Liberia drop out
of school by the age of ten.

13. My little dear played outside the window
and we wavedTwo thirds. all day long.
at each other
Her smile was warm and delighted. The
By age ten. my mind:
specter of a statistic crowded
Think of it.
two-thirds of all girls in Liberia drop out
of school by the age of ten.

15. I wanted to tell you her name.

16. I wanted to tell you her name. I wanted to
tell you this story of my little dear, but
here’s the thing:

17. I wanted to tell you her name. I wanted to
tell you this story of my little dear, but
here’s the thing: No one can find her.

18. I wanted to tell you her name. I wanted to
tell you this story of my little dear, but
here’s the thing: No one can find her. All
our friends and colleagues have been
looking.

19. I wanted to tell you her name. I wanted to
tell you this story of my little dear, but
here’s the thing: No one can find her. All
our friends and colleagues have been
looking. She is turning ten, the age of that
statistic.

21. Have we lost the opportunity to
know her story, her precious,
bright-eyed story?

22. Have we lost the opportunity to
know her story, her precious,
bright-eyed story? This is a loss
for us. And beyond that, it is a
loss for her,

23. Have we lost the opportunity to
know her story, her precious,
bright-eyed story? This is a loss
for us. And beyond that, it is a
loss for her, not to get to tell the
story she deserves to tell and be
part of a story yet to be written.

25. My little dear. She took the post-it and
pen I gave her and she attached them to
her dress. She was saving them, precious
to her.

26. My little dear. She took the post it and
pen I gave her and she attached them to
her dress. She was saving them, precious
to her. Soon enough, all the other
children did the same.

27. My little dear. She took the post it and
pen I gave her and she attached them to
her dress. She was saving them, precious
to her. Soon enough, all the other
children did the same. A born leader.

28. My little dear. She took the post it and
pen I gave her and she attached them to
her dress. She was saving them, precious
to her. Soon enough, all the other
children did the same. A born leader.
She turned to smile at me one last time
before I left. I wish I could tell you more.

30. Let us treasure all our children’s stories.
Words Changing Worlds.