10×10 producer Martha Adams reports from her second pre-production trip to India.
1 Mississippi…2 Mississippi…I started to count the seconds between my driver’s honks. In the 50 minutes it took to get from the airport to my hotel, the greatest span between his honks was three seconds. THREE SECONDS! That’s about 1,000 honks from one car. Now multiply that by the other gazillion cars out there…Welcome to Kolkata, India.
Roadside home in Kolkata
I’m traveling around town today with the staff of 10×10 partner World Vision prepping for the arrival of screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala. We begin by visiting Ruksana’s “home,” a tarp-covered, 15 by 7 foot section of sidewalk. I feel a bit like Mary Poppins carrying a bag full of magic markers, colored pencils, crayons, sketchpads, erasers, pencil sharpeners, 10×10 pencils, stacks of photos (taken on our previous trip) and a photo book on great women of the world. What was she going to make of all this?
Pause here to consider the basics: Ruksana is 11; her mother is 28 (married at 13, first baby at 14). Her father is 40 and sells sugar cane juice at the market. She has 4 other siblings. They are squatters on a footpath and if evicted, they would have to go back to their family’s village. The problem is, while there are schools in their village, there is no learning there. A common and important theme that we are encountering every step of the way on 10×10 is that just because there’s a school building, it doesn’t mean it’s filled with supplies, has bathrooms, enough space, or paid teachers who actually know how to teach. So Ruksana’s parents opt to sleep on the streets of Kolkata, amidst the sewage and grime, in the company of traffickers and gangs, all so that their kids can receive an education. Why make such a sacrifice? Because neither of Ruksana’s parents can read or write and they want a better life for their kids.
Ruksana's mother tries to fan off the high temperatures inside their home.
Arriving at Ruksana’s tarp, we slip off our shoes and step in. It’s a steam bath inside and my eyes have to adjust to the dark. Sam, our World Vision representative, our translator Natasha, Ruksana, her siblings, mother and I all sat down, knees overlapping. Although we’ve met before, I explain 10×10 to the family in detail now. How we are traveling around the world in search of girls who, against all odds, are succeeding in school. That Ruksana will be the representative for India.
Her mother says she’s proud that her daughter was chosen and happy to participate. “But…” What was her “but?” OH NO, I think, here it comes. She continues, “but only if the film will help all the children in her community.” I am speechless at the selflessness and forward thinking of this humble woman. And that is exactly our goal with 10×10: to tell the story that educating girls will have a multiplying effect on entire communities. On the world.
Have you ever been to Kolkata? What was your impression?
First, lay the foundation, then build the critical selling points and ask for the business, “Sweetheart, I need to go to Haiti for a week to learn more about how educating girls can change the world (more on that later).” A long pause ensues, as tears well up, and for a brief second I fantasize that they were for me- my safety or being missed…not remotely close…“I want to go-too!,” she proclaims. With an 18 month old daughter and another baby on the way, she knows it’s not possible. I close the deal. Two weeks later, I‘m en route to one of the least understood and most poverty stricken countries on the planet.
Disheartening for some obvious and not so obvious reasons. The country itself is broke and broken, has very little governance as a whole, almost no commerce, no real education system (> 80% of those in school are in private school), zero waste removal system (just image the worst and double it), corrupt “business monarchs” who sap the riches of the country, corrupt politicians, and that’s just the country of Haiti. The people are very poor, most are unemployed and many believe the vast majority are purposely kept uneducated, make <$300 dollars a year, fight hard to prevent contracting AIDS, malaria or cholera, have little opportunity to complete primary education, and not to mention the practice of child slavery, called “Restavek,” is alive, well, and legal. 
Lest I mention the earthquake in which the Haitian government reported an estimated 316,000 people died, 300,000 were injured and 1,000,000 were made homeless (
Inspiring. At the risk of sounding dramatic, I believe describing these girls as inspirational is a significant understatement. And here’s why, it would be easy to tell the “Sally Struthers – Save the Children” story of tragedy and despair, but that doesn’t capture the true essence of who these girls are. Sure, we heard numerous accounts of; rape, hunger, mental & physical abuse, disease, slavery, death – lots of death and more, but they didn’t dwell on it and neither did we. It is a part of who they are and has shaped their world view, but it does not define who they are and more importantly who they will become.
Over the course of a half an hour Rose articulated a vision for her future that sounded more like a graduate student then a 16- year old girl. But my most memorable interaction was the conversation that ensued when we asked her if she wanted to marry. Interrupting us, she asked us why? Why would she want to marry and have children with a man that would likely leave her and physically abuse her? As she gestures with her hands to signal, look and listen, do you see and hear? Her retort was so strong as to suggest what a silly question. She goes on to state, why would she jeopardize her future and do anything to distract her from finishing school, becoming a nurse and achieving what she believes is well within reach. It is clear, at 16 Rose is already a strong woman. Before we finish, Rose asks us if she can recite a poem which she has written. She proceeds to deliver powerfully, a message that demonstrates her deep faith in God and determination to succeed, to be more than what seems destiny for most.
The Second Rose, Rosematrie reminds me of a younger, more gritty version of Shirley Temple. She is spirited, outspoken and nothing short of smiling-lively. Rosematrie is 9 but seems to navigate the world as most would at 29. She comes from a family of four sisters and one brother. She lives with her siblings, mother and grandmother. Rosematrie is embarrassed to tell us that she often goes hungry which makes the mile+ walk to school on an empty stomach challenging. Yet she simmers to tears when explaining her biggest concern, the fact that she doesn’t believe her mom will be able to afford school beyond the current semester. And, then it hits me hard- a ton of Haitian bricks. Here is a girl that lives in a home that is no more than 300 square feet (which we later visited that day) with six adults and two children, is constantly fighting for her next meal and her Dad left her for no reason at the age of seven. But, her breaking point is the fact that she believes her education may be coming to an end. Out of this first world.
