Natalie Portman Announces 'Free The Children' Contest

Golden Globe-winning actress Natalie Portman has teamed with nonprofit organization Free The Children to support education for girls around the world.

Not only is Portman lending her voice to the cause, but she is offering prizes for the winner of the organization's fundraising contest.

This spring, young people can enter the contest by raising money for the Kisaruni Girls' Secondary School in Kenya.

According to their website:

If you're between the ages of 13 and 21 and meet the eligibility requirements, you have from February 1st until May 1st, 2011 to raise funds for Kisaruni. In early May, the top five fundraisers will be asked to share why they think it's important to empower the girls through education.

On June 1st , 2011 the winner will be announced and receive the Power of a Girl prize pack.

The grand prize winner will win a trip to Kenya in the summer of 2011, Natalie Portman's Rodarte dress from the American Film Institute premiere of "Black Swan" and tickets to the premiere of her next film.

WATCH:

Comments

[condor101]

02:23 PM on 02/08/2011

Nice.

[Tabby Biddle]

03:11 PM on 02/03/2011

I'm really happy to see/hear Natalie using her voice in this way. Educating girls should be a number one priority in every country. Most importantly because every girl deserves an education -- it's a human rights issue. Secondly, because we've seen the statistics over and over. When you educate a girl, you improve the economics, health, and well-being of an entire community. It is common sense, but somehow most countries around the world have overlooked this. Girls and young women are powerful forces that can truly change the course of our planet.

I am so happy to see celebrities like Natalie using their voice to raise awareness and funds for this critical human rights issue.

[mikroskopic]

08:32 AM on 02/03/2011

yay! Huffpost daily news regarding Natalie. I'm a fan btw so I don't mind it.

Anyways... The majority of the world's impoverished are women. They also are accountable for the children. And in many places, they are the key to the local economy (e.g. opening shops and businesses). So one can argue, their educational fitness is pivotal economically and socially more so than men.

[DanSc]

01:00 AM on 02/03/2011

Educating young women; just as effective as birth control in curbing population control but without arguing with Catholics.

[reshmi1]

02:17 AM on 02/02/2011

Its really very honest work.no one would think children's who are under poverty line.they are the future of our nation.we should learn from Natalie Portman.. http://bit.ly/ePS6Rq

[DanoX]

10:19 PM on 02/01/2011

I'll support this Natalie, if you agree to stop trying to make me feel evil for eating meat.

[Brenbooks]

05:19 PM on 02/01/2011

Have any of the ill-informed making comments here ever read Three Cups of Tea? Do you have any critical thinking skills to understand how women in 3rd world countries have virtually no power and by educating them not only do they begin to find their voices but the majority of women stay in their towns and villages and promote more and more education to boys and girls alike.

So Bravo to Natalie and Clooney and all those stars who choose to use their celebrity to help those less fortunate.

[MsGray]

05:07 PM on 02/01/2011

She signed the free Polanski petition. She's a great advocate for 13 year olds.

[JustBen]

04:08 PM on 02/01/2011

I read an article yesterday about how the women of Australia no longer know how to properly cook clean or sew. This problem is not unique to Australia and is endemic among many western countries. We should all be doing more to make sure that young women are properly educated.

[TraceyES]

10:55 AM on 02/02/2011

Why, exactly, is it a problem that women in first-world countries don't know how to cook, clean or sew? Do the young men know how?

[JustBen]

01:34 PM on 02/02/2011

Sarcasm is lost upon you.

Don't get your panties in a bunch.

[doa766]

04:01 PM on 02/01/2011

what about the boys who want to learn more about the contents of her panties? who's helping us?

[Bibulus]

02:47 PM on 02/01/2011

I fully support your efforts Natalie!

...aw who am I kidding, I'm so smitten with her I'd support her efforts to club baby seals.

[Willmore]

02:41 PM on 02/01/2011

I'm against it.

How smart could girls be, really, they let guys have sex with them.

[signgrrl]

01:47 PM on 02/05/2011

maybe more, better, education will change that.

[cgeorgan]

02:33 PM on 02/01/2011

Instead of focusing on a symptom, let's examine the cause:  Misogyny in the world, largely perpetuated by orthodox religion.

[darcdante]

02:40 PM on 02/01/2011

Misogyny is responsible for education rates in Kenya? Hmmm.

24% of Kenyans complete secondary education (high school). I couldn't find any statistics on how many of those are male or female, perhaps you have them? As for organized religion...

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/keducation.htm

Missionaries were responsible for bringing education to Kenya in the 19th century.

"The foundation for modern education in Kenya was laid by missionaries who introduced reading to spread Christianity and who taught practical subjects such as carpentry and gardening, which at least at first were mainly useful around the missions. These early educational activities began around the mid 1800s along the coast."

[Barry Stoute]

03:03 PM on 02/01/2011

Dude, while the missionaries came and "bring education" to Kenya, the colonists raped that country, STRIPPING THE EDUCATION SYSTEM THERE. So, your statement is invalid. Please read up on African history.

[cgeorgan]

05:56 PM on 02/01/2011

Please, keep your religion to yourself.

[darcdante]

02:33 PM on 02/01/2011

Shouldn't we work to educate boys as well? I don't know the education demographics of Kenya, but I assume there are many uneducated boys there as well as girls.

[Miriam Breslauer]

04:05 PM on 02/01/2011

When you educate girls, the boys come for education just to not be seen as lesser than their sisters.

[pattio66]

05:59 PM on 02/01/2011

bingo!!!

[Cubroncs03]

01:17 PM on 02/02/2011

Asinine

[Hanksingle]

05:04 PM on 02/01/2011

Men have a lot more opportunities throughout life - that's a pretty standard trend across the world, educating women at an early age would help to reset the balance.

[darcdante]

05:17 PM on 02/01/2011

Or we could just seek to educate every person, regardless of race or gender.

[yellowdoggie]

02:33 PM on 02/01/2011

Natalie, you rock.