( CNN ) -- Dear Girls of the World , . My own schooling taught me that the opportunity to learn is a gift , and the guidance of a good teacher is life-changing . It is important as a girl to learn how to earn your own living , stand up for your own point of view and share your skills and experiences with others . As the great African proverb goes , you must lift as you climb . In school , I learned that reading , writing and numeracy are powerful tools for life , but so too are stories : stories about our own histories and our culture ; stories we can tell , draw , write and perform . How we see ourselves becomes who we are -- so we must see ourselves as tall and strong and kind , and connected to others . Being safe is a prerequisite for learning . If girls are not safe when they walk to school , attend school and as they return home , everything is taken away . We must all fight for our sisters to be safe from violence of any kind , so that they are free to learn , grow and flourish . Learning with and about boys is important -- we all live together in our world . Despite the heightened focus on girls , it 's important not to forget to teach boys that their own learning and the learning of their sisters are equally valuable . We have , among ourselves , the power to change the lives of everyone . Each of us must use our voice through whatever networks we have to spread the news that educating girls will transform the world . We must talk to our neighbors , tell our friends , share our tweets and blogs , and create a great noise so that no leader , no education official and no head teacher or principal can avoid hearing the message : that every child -- which means every single girl -- deserves to go to school and learn . -- Sarah Brown . Read more open letters . Open letter from Christiane Amanpour : It 's time to power the world . Open letter from Queen Rania of Jordan : More than tiaras and cupcakes . More : CNN 's `` Girl Rising '' How to help | Take action with 10x10 .
Sarah Brown writes an open letter to girls of the world .