NGO Spotlight: Girl Up - A UN initiative
Written by Zuleyka Zevallos | 05 June 2010
Girl Up is an United Nations Foundation initiative that encourages American girls to learn more about the practical and easy ways they can help to improve the lives of girls living in developing nations. For example, girls can get involved in the "Give a High Five" campaign, which involves participating in one of these five activities:
1. Taking five minutes to learn more about what life is like in other countries for young girls
2. Using their social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, to share five facts about the Girl Up campaign
3. Sending the Girafesto to five friends, which explains the campaign
4. Donating five dollars to help buy girls some much needed supplies, such as for their school or for medicine
5. Hosting a Girl Up fundraiser
It's easy to get involved. Please take a little time to tell other people about this program. Read on to learn more about the Girl Up Campaign.
All of the information below is taken directly from the Girl Up website. Please see: http://www.girlup.org
About the Girl Up program
Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders.
Campaign supporters are encouraged to give a "High Five" to girls in developing countries by donating $5 or more to provide girls with such basic needs as access to school supplies, clean water, life-saving health services, safety from violence, and more. To give a High Five and learn more, join us at GirlUp.org.
This information was taken directly from the Girl Up website. Please see: http://www.girlup.org/about/
Some facts about ...
The World's Adolescent girls
Adolescent girls have tremendous potential to be strong, bright, and curious leaders, sports stars, prime ministers — you name it. But adolescent girls in developing countries face a number of challenges that can make it difficult to fulfill their aspirations. Join Girl Up and you can help girls globally live their dreams.Did You Know?
- Studies show that every year of schooling increasing a girl’s future earning power by 10 to 20 percent.
- Less than half a cent of every development dollar goes to programs specifically for girls, particularly those ages 10-14.
- Girls make up 70 percent of the world’s 125 million out-of-school youth.
- One in seven girls in the developing world marries before the age of 15.
- In Liberia, 41.7 percent of women have received no formal education.[1]
- In Liberia, close to 45 percent of girls ages 10-14 have received no formal education.[2]
- Girls who receive an education marry later, have fewer children,[3] and are more likely to seek healthcare for themselves and their children.[4]
- The positive impact of girls’ education has been shown to transcend generations, resulting in better health outcomes among women, their children, and eventually their grandchildren.
- Violence kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer.[5]
- Younger women are at higher risk of physical or sexual abuse than older ones.
- In 2008, women held only 18 percent of parliamentary seats worldwide.[6]
- Providing girls with leadership skills and including them in the decision-making process is one of the major tools to spark economic and social change.[7]
- Statistics show that women and girls reinvest 90 percent of their income in their families and communities.[8]
- Girls often face social isolation and lack access to many services. For example, peer education programs, even if not school-based, are unlikely to reach urban girls, who are largely confined to the home.[9]
- When it comes to funding, a vast majority of youth assistance bypasses girls.
- Data show that in some cases, 80 to 90 percent of youth program participants are boys.
[1] Selected Indicators For Liberia. 2009. Demographic and Health Surveys Quickstats.
[2] www.girlsdiscovered.org, Demographic and Health Surveys, Date Accessed: 2009-03-25
[3] http://www.unfpa.org/safemotherhood
[4] http://www.unicef.org/mdg/maternal.html
[5] UN Millennium Project. 2005. Taking Action: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women. Task Force on Education and Gender Equality. London and Sterling, VA: Earthscan.
[6] www.un.org/millenniumgoals
[7] Levine, R., C. Lloyd, M. Greene, C. Grown. 2008. Girls Count: A Global Investment and Action Agenda. Washington, D.C.: Center for Global Development.
[8] Phil Borges. 2007. Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World. New York.
[9] Malhotra, A., S. Mathur, M. Mehta, P. Moktan, and P. Bhadra. 2000. “Adolescent Reproductive Health and Sexuality in Nepal: Combining Quantitative and Participatory Methodologies.” Paper presented at Annual Meetings of the Population Association of America, March 23-25, Los Angeles.
This information is reproduced entirely from the Girl Up website. Please see: http://www.girlup.org/learn/the-worlds-adolescent-girls.html
