On October 11, to mark International Day of the Girl, global children’s charity Plan International UK unveiled a striking display of life-like ice sculptures by Londons Tower Bridge at sunrise from to represent the millions of girls globally who are denied an education.
95% of girls complete secondary school in the UK, but globally, this drops to just 60%. To highlight the 4 in 10 girls globally who do not finish school , the display depict six ice sculptures of schoolgirls seated at desks beside four empty desks containing absent notes.
The installation shines a light on the millions of girls being frozen out of education worldwide. At Sand In Your Eye, we are incredibly proud to have been part of this project.
This concept put to us by Plan International UK really spoke to Claire when she got the email, as feminist and mother of two girls, she was incredibly excited to work on this project. Between SIYE and Plan International we brainstormed ideas and the final concept chosen was just felt so poignant. With a mixture of CNC and hand carving these sculptures were brought to life by the incredible skills of Jonathan, Peter and Dave. Dan and his woodworking and signwriting skills brought the blackboard to life and as ever Jamie and his ability to work out the best methods to do things, to make all the incredible events we do happen. Amy and Mark on our installation team and everyone one else working hard on all the other projects we have at this time of year, was one of the best examples of why our dynamic and diverse skill sets in our team work so well. What a team we have!
Once all the ice sculptures were carved and wrapped, Jamie, Mark and Amy set off to London ready for a very early start the next day. They installed the ice sculptures and lit them before sunrise and as the sun appeared what an incredible image! The girls were designed to sit on the chairs, which meant that stability was carefully considered, so as the melted they would remain intact. Passersby soon arrived on their way to work, education and whatever else. They soon started to interact with the sculptures, read the messaging and engage with the project. At the same time images were sent to SIYE HQ and we were blown away with how striking it looked and how perfectly it conveyed the message Plan International UK wanted to get across. After a busy long day the team celebrated with some food before the long journey home.
We were very happy to have been part of this project and to find out more please click here about the important work Plan International do.
Girls’ education matters. But around the world, girls are prevented from accessing this right. Poverty. Child marriage. Gender norms. Periods. Insecurity. Violence. Access. All of these are barriers to girls’ education.
It is especially difficult for girls facing several of these barriers. Such as those who are disabled or living through emergencies. Even those that do go to school may finish early, without reaching higher levels. And big changes, like the death of a parent may force girls out of school for good.
What this means is that too many girls are not getting basic reading, writing and maths skills. Not to mention knowledge about their bodies and the life skills they need to thrive. Without these, they don’t have a fair say in their future.
Girls’ education isn’t optional. It is a right.
Press coverage included Times and I, Guardian, Evening Standard and BBC London, as well as several regionals – including Yorkshire Evening Post.