posted by: Prime Sarmiento

I don’t remember their names. But I remember how I met them. That was about eight years ago, the first time I traveled to Ubud, Bali.

I just picked up photography as a hobby. So there I was, lugging around my secondhand manual SLR camera, doing jalan jalan around the village of Nyuh Kuning (where the guesthouse I’m staying is located), and I found these two girls working on one of the many woodcarving shops here.

They hardly talk english, while I can only speak a smattering of words in bahasa (Apa kabar? Saya Filipina). We communicated mostly by smiles and hand gestures, allowing me to practice my newfound hobby.

I took their photos. I left. I had the film developed in Singapore. Traveled some more. I forgot about them.

Last week, I read about The Girl Effect in Leonie Allan’s and Ali Luke’s blogsites and how these two favorite bloggers of mine are doing their part to change the world.

And then I remembered those two Balinese girls… and I started to wonder:

Whatever happened to those two Balinese girls? Did they study? Maybe they’re in the university? Perhaps, they’re managing their own woodcarving shop now.

Or perhaps, they end up working in that shop for years, polishing new woodcarvings, waiting to get married as there are no other opportunities open to them.

What do these two girls want? What are their dreams? Are they moving towards these dreams or did poverty kept them from doing so?

I don’t know where these girls are but I’m hoping that I can do something to at least give other girls a chance to dream.

So here’s my commitment:

1. I’m supporting the Girl Effect and I’m encouraging you to do the same.

2. I will continue donating to Kiva, believing that helping women to put up small businesses will help them improving the lives of their familues.

3. I will continue buying from socially responsible companies like Human Heart Nature , a line of Philippine-made organic personal care products, which sources raw materials from community-based cooperatives and help lift people from poverty.

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This post is part of a blogosphere-wide campaign. Please check out The Girl Effect Blogging Campaign to know how you can give one girl a better chance in life.