Behind the Scenes with a Girl Rising writer and her inspiration from Nepal.

GIRL RISING - BEHIND THE SCENES: MEET THE WRITER The stories of the nine girls features in Girl Rising are told by celebrated writers from around the world. Nepali writer, Manjushree Thapu, shares her experiences with Girl Rising and what it was like getting to know Suma. All of my writing and my heart is definitely in Nepal. Ten years ago there was a movement that began in this area. It was called the "Kumiya Liberation Movement", and it was to end the bonded labor among the adults in this community, basically a movement to end slavery. It was something that I had been involved with in Katmandu. And it's actually the only time I've ever been to jail was for that movement, just for a day. And it was a moment when we all felt really victorious when the government declared okay this practice has ended. And then ten years later when you realize that it's ended for the adults, but the children are still being bonded. It's shameful, it's shocking. It's just the kind of thing that, you know, makes your blood boil, to have slavery, you know, practiced in this day and age. Suma was sold into slavery as a very young child. She seems very shy at first, but once she starts to speak she says really interesting and surprising things. She's very observant. She sees things in a certain way so that's been really interesting. When we approach some of her most painful experiences - she's clearly been through a lot. She doesn't want to go there. She's really focusing on taking it forward in a very positive way. Women are the biggest agents of change in Nepal, and you have to remember the experience of being a girl in Nepal, it's an intensely gendered experience. Everything in your life is shaped by the fact that you're a girl, and there are restrictions. Try to do something else. I think education is one of the key components to changing, you know, girls and therefore the world. So Suma's groundbreaking work in her village, it's really so inspiring. When girls and women change, that changes everything. ONE GIRL WITH COURAGE IS A REVOLUTION THE SCREEN THE FULL FILM GO TO www.GIRLRISING.COM