Imagine being born in poverty. Imagine never being able to go to school because there is too much work to do. Imagine being married off at the age of 13 because your parents are unable to support you. Imagine not having control over your own life. This is the everyday reality for millions of girls across the globe.
I stumbled across The Girl Effect quite accidentally just on time for the 2011 Blogging Campaign. I didn’t know what to write, but I couldn’t remain silent either. So I’m just going to share a few facts.
- Out of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, 70% are girls;
- 38 per cent of girls in developing countries marry before they are 18;
- A girl becomes a child bride every 3 seconds.
- Medical complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 worldwide.
Yet, girls can be a powerful resource in the world’s fight to end poverty. When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man. Educated girls are more likely to send their children to school. Successful girls will inspire others to follow in their footsteps. This is The Girl Effect.
I’ve only just begun to learn about The Girl Effect. Today I don’t know what else I can do other than spread the word and that’s what I’m doing. Watch the videos. Learn more about The Girl Effect. Read what other bloggers have to say about it. Join the campaign.
Hi, I'm Tat. I believe that through motherhood we're given another chance to find ourselves, grow and shine. I have three beautiful children and I learn a lot from them every day. This year I'm searching for ease in everything I do.
Most of us have absolutely no idea how lucky we are. I’m going to look into this and see what I can do. I’ve watched some documentaries about women in Africa – they were a real eye opener. Last weekend I did a photo walk with 100% of the money collected going to Kenya. It’s held every year. It started as a small event in one town and has grown to a world-wide event. It doesn’t take much, really, when we all work together. Thank you so much for sharing this! You are doing great work by passing this on!
Mari Sterling Wilbur recently posted..Magnificent Monday – Spring and Autumn Collections
So powerful
Jamie S recently posted..Family Blessings
Still so much work needs to be done in this area. More than people realize I think!
Kristy @PampersandPinot recently posted..Open Heart
Thanks so much for sharing this. I’ve not heard of the girl effect before however I am very interested to find out more, and to help the quest to raise awareness of these issues.
Lisa recently posted..Write on Wednesdays… Choose your own adventure. I choose one that I missed.