By Beth Kanter
October 09, 2012
October 11 has been declared the "International Day of the Girl,"and the launch of an international campaign called “Because I am A Girl”
by the Plan, one of the oldest and largest children’s development
organizations in the world that works in 50 developing countries across
Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions
of children out of poverty.
The "Because I’m a Girl"
campaign aims to draw the world’s attention to educating girls
worldwide by getting supporters to “raise their hands” on October 11.
The goal is to collect 4 million actions (photos of hands raised, likes
on their Facebook campaign page, etc.) and present the collective
actions to the United Nations Secretary General and the world donor
community urging them to put girls’ education as their priority.
There are also local events being organized in 70 countries around the world that will culminate in a global event in New York, which will be attended by UN Women executive director Michelle Bachelet, actress Marcia Cross, journalist Mariane Pearl, and Plan-supported girl ambassadors from around the world, who will be sharing their experiences with policy makers. The Empire State Building and London Eye are among a number of landmarks that will be lit up bright pink to mark the occasion.
Why girls? Why is this all important? Globally, one in three girls around the world is denied an education by the daily realities of poverty, violence, and discrimination. Every day, girls are taken out of school, married far too young, and subjected to violence in school. Not only is this unjust, it's also a huge waste of potential with serious global consequences. Millions of girls are being denied an education right at a time when learning has the power to transform their lives and the world around them. Making it through both primary and secondary education is critical for girls to be able to break the cycle of poverty.
Here are some statistics about what happens when a girl who makes it through high-quality primary and secondary education is ...
I know this firsthand, because my family and I have been honored to support the college education of two young Cambodian women through the Sharing Foundation's education program. The photo above is of Leng Sopharath. I raised money through my blog and later on Twitter to help send her to college from 2006 to 2010 through the Sharing Foundation's program. After trading letters for two years, I met Sopharath face to face in 2007 and recorded this interview. She graduated from college and is married. She is working two jobs; one is at the Bambou Indochine store at the airport.
The photo above is of Keo Savon, with me this summer in Cambodia. She is the second college student we are supporting through the Sharing Foundation's program. (I'm donating the royalties from my new book, Measuring the Networked Nonprofit, toward her education). College tuition in Cambodia, compared to the United States, is not that much; for many young Cambodian women, it is beyond their grasp. A college education for Keo Savon will change her life.
Won't you raise your hand in support of girls around the world?
The "Because I’m a Girl"
campaign aims to draw the world’s attention to educating girls
worldwide by getting supporters to “raise their hands” on October 11.
The goal is to collect 4 million actions (photos of hands raised, likes
on their Facebook campaign page, etc.) and present the collective
actions to the United Nations Secretary General and the world donor
community urging them to put girls’ education as their priority.There are also local events being organized in 70 countries around the world that will culminate in a global event in New York, which will be attended by UN Women executive director Michelle Bachelet, actress Marcia Cross, journalist Mariane Pearl, and Plan-supported girl ambassadors from around the world, who will be sharing their experiences with policy makers. The Empire State Building and London Eye are among a number of landmarks that will be lit up bright pink to mark the occasion.
Why girls? Why is this all important? Globally, one in three girls around the world is denied an education by the daily realities of poverty, violence, and discrimination. Every day, girls are taken out of school, married far too young, and subjected to violence in school. Not only is this unjust, it's also a huge waste of potential with serious global consequences. Millions of girls are being denied an education right at a time when learning has the power to transform their lives and the world around them. Making it through both primary and secondary education is critical for girls to be able to break the cycle of poverty.
Here are some statistics about what happens when a girl who makes it through high-quality primary and secondary education is ...
- ...less likely to experience violence, or to marry and have children while she is still a child.
- ...more likely to be literate, healthy, and survive into adulthood, as are her children.
- ...more likely to reinvest her income back into her family, community, and country.
- ...more likely to understand her rights and be a force for change.
I know this firsthand, because my family and I have been honored to support the college education of two young Cambodian women through the Sharing Foundation's education program. The photo above is of Leng Sopharath. I raised money through my blog and later on Twitter to help send her to college from 2006 to 2010 through the Sharing Foundation's program. After trading letters for two years, I met Sopharath face to face in 2007 and recorded this interview. She graduated from college and is married. She is working two jobs; one is at the Bambou Indochine store at the airport.
The photo above is of Keo Savon, with me this summer in Cambodia. She is the second college student we are supporting through the Sharing Foundation's program. (I'm donating the royalties from my new book, Measuring the Networked Nonprofit, toward her education). College tuition in Cambodia, compared to the United States, is not that much; for many young Cambodian women, it is beyond their grasp. A college education for Keo Savon will change her life.
Won't you raise your hand in support of girls around the world?
Bio
If you want to learn more about me, read my blog, Beth's Blog.
Beth Kanter is a nonprofit technology consultant working with nonprofits organizations. 
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