One of Africa's most illustrious and notable queens was quite the avid independent traveler. Her name was Queen Tiye and she ruled over one of the most powerful and richest empires of all time. It was Queen Tiye and her husband Pharoah Amenhotep III that began Ancient Egypt's Golden Age. Their international court set the standard for the arts, languages you name it. Of course, Queen Tiye loved to travel and travel she did. Their empire stretched from Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, all the way to Southern India and not to mention the little-known outposts in North and South America they established.
There is something about taking that step into the unknown, leaving the confines and security of what you know and stepping out into this big, beautiful world. It takes alot of courage, tenacity, discipline and openness to learning new things. Travel is a wonderful teacher.
However, not everyone has been able to take advantage of opportunities to travel and see the world. So leave it to Martice Sutton, the founder of Girls Going Global. She's a native of west Philadelphia and an avid traveler who came up with this brilliant idea to give back to her community.
She's a graduate of Spelman College where she studied International Business. Her studies took her to such places as Barcelona, Marrakesh, Johannesburg, Paris, London, Rome and Italy. She's currently working as a social enterprise consultant for Hyderabad's Affordable Private School in Hyderabad, India.
What is Girls Going Global?
It's a social enterprise to expose African American girls to the cultures of the world and empower them to travel. Like Queen Tiye, young African American girls can be groomed to create foreign policies that shape our world in a positive way.
GCC has a lot of exciting programs, so check out their site: http://girlsgoingglobal.org/
GCC Passport Scholarships - They have partnered with The Passport Party Project March 9, 2013 to provide 11 Philadelphia girls with their first passports.
Girls Going Global Travel Camp Canada - Estimated cost is US$500 for girls to visit Toronto, Canada.
Photo: Queen Tiye from Luxor Museum, Egypt
Photo: Queen Tiye from Berlin Museum, Germany
Girls Going Global Founder Martice Sutton