In honor of International Day of The Girl Child, recognized on October 11, singer/songwriter and Newtown native Daria Musk virtually crossed continents as she brought a group of girls from a secondary school in Iringa, Tanzania, together with girls from Newtown’s Fraser Woods Montessori School.

According to the United Nation’s website, International Day of the Girl Child was first held last year to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

Using Google+, the Fraser Woods Montessori middle school girls connected with girls in Africa and discussed bringing awareness to the hopes and dreams of girls made possible through education.

In just over an hour, girls from both continents smiled and giggled while sharing academic passions, career aspirations, and hopes for the future.

The girls found similarities, like girls from Tanzania have hopes of becoming doctors, while the Fraser Woods girls also have aspirations of becoming doctors and researchers. This event was the culmination of years of work made possible by Daria Musk, Fraser Woods Montessori School middle school humanities teacher and dean Wendy Musk, The School Fund Founder Matt Severson, Vivian Nunez founder of “She’s the First,” and Will Zhou from Google+ Changemakers Community Partnerships.

Daria Musk and her producer RAM were first musicians to use Google+ Hangouts to give global concerts. Now a common name among Google executives, Daria Musk is using her preferred medium to advocate for universal education for girls.

“People all around the world have the same dreams but what is different is the opportunities available to them,” Daria Musk told both groups of girls.

Daria and her family are big supporters of The School Fund, which in turn provides funds for boys and girls in developing nations to attend school.

The mission of “She’s The First” is to sponsor girls’ education in developing nations, giving girls the chance to become the first in families to graduate from secondary school, according to its website, www.shesthefirst.org.

Wendy Musk said she was delighted to provide this opportunity for her students, whose focus on geography and global citizenship is this school year’s theme.

“There is nothing more powerful than an articulate, compassionate, well-informed student. Adults will listen to them every time. Their influence for good is pivotal for our shared global future,” Wendy Musk explained.

Fraser Woods Montessori eighth grade student Julia Dimartino had good news for the group. As part of the Fraser Woods Montessori leadership program the graduating class chose The School Fund to be the recipient of its fundraising efforts and the group plans to send two students to school for at least two years. The Fraser Woods Montessori students also plan to team up with She’s the First to host a cupcake campaign to benefit sending more girls to school.

The event ended with music. First, the Tanzanian girls stood and sang their national anthem, which ended in a joyous applause.

Daria Musk then invited everyone to join her in singing her top single “You Move Me.”

For further information visit theschoolfund.com, shesthefirst.org, or e-mail Wendy Musk at wmusk@fraserwoods.com for information about supporting Fraser Woods Montessori’s graduating class’s effort to raise money for The School Fund. Further information about Daria Musk can be found at www.dairamusk.com.