Invest in Girls' Rights: Their Leadership, Their Well-being
October 11th is celebrated around the world as the International Day of the Girl. This day, organized by UNICEF, focuses on the need for greater investment into the well-being and rights of girls across the globe. It is hard to find a day or a cause, that we believe in more than investing in girls!
The reality is that girls around the globe face significant disadvantages in terms of education, health care, social status, and protected freedoms. In our work we see this reality play out in girls who are more susceptible to being exploited because of the vulnerability created by these disadvantages. Girls who lack agency and choice in their life because of their social status, or lack of access to education, health care, or economic opportunities, are far more likely to be exploited.
This is especially true in cultures with forced child marriages.
Our investment into girls and women, here at FTG, takes different forms.
Health: Our new Women’s Health Initiative is an effort to bridge the knowledge gap that exists in some cultures, with women and their own bodies. This lack of knowledge can lead to exploitation, an inability to seek medical care, and poor health. Since the launch of our newest initiative in Zambia, we have already seen hundreds of women and girls participate. This knowledge will have ripple effects in their communities, and through generations of women. UNICEF says that every dollar invested into sexual and reproductive health for girls can yield economic returns of up to $120! You can invest in that initiative directly here.
Education: Beyond health, we invest in education for women in our program and their children. In many locations, there are school fees and other hurdles for girls gaining access to schooling. We work with our program partners to provide this access and cross these barriers. The job skills training we provide also seeks to fill in crucial, but missing, life skills and educational competencies that allow women to run their own businesses or find success in the workplace. Studies show that by continuing in school, each year of additional education for a girl can increase her potential income by 10-20%.
We are working with potential partners in several new countries to develop programs that are specifically aimed at serving girls who have been exploited, working to provide healing and resources that will allow them to flourish as women.
If we want to be part of shaping a more hopeful world, it begins with investing in a generation of girls that can grow into flourishing women. This is a world where girls are educated, where they have agency and choice, and where we all use our resources to correct the imbalance of opportunities afforded to girls around the world.
Begin today with a donation to Free The Girls.
