10 year old girl in Mozambique
A girl is not a burden
A girl is not an object
She is the ANSWER
I am a girl champion.
I am a girl champion because I have raised two girls. I listen to the needs and desire of girls. I listen to their hopes and dreams. I cherish their stories and believe in their power. I have educated myself on what impacts their lives and here is a bit of what I have learned:
- One person in eight is a girl or young woman age 10–24.Young people are the fastest growing segment of the population in developing countries, and their size will peak over the next 10 years.
- Start with a girl, and boys win too, because she will re-invest in them. She will re-invest in her brothers, her father, her future sons, her entire community – in fact, 90% of what she earns.
- In many places girls and young women do not enjoy the basic rights of voting, cannot inherit land, are subject to female genital cutting, and do not have the right to stop unwanted sexual advances or gain justice.
- The focus should be on the adolescent period, starting at age 10, because it is the moment of crucial transition to adult roles and a stage that sets the course for the rest of her life.
- Girls’ welfare is fundamental in determining economic and social outcomes.
You can learn more hard cold facts here and the Global Agenda for girls.
We are failing our girls, but girls can change this with our help.
I know that the Girl Effect Campaign will only be successful if we let Girls lead the way.
Girls as leaders. Girls as owners. Girls as contributors. Girls in charge.
They have the answers and our role is to be their champions and help tell THEIR stories
Our job is to listen, learn and to help provide resources and level the playing field. Our job is to stay in our place and become their champions. This is not about us…it never was and it never will be.
So while she is in school in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Cambodia or India- I am her advocate, her funder and her defender.
I advocate for the repeal of laws that legitimize discrimination against girls and women in areas such as legal personhood, marriage and family, property rights, workplace and physical integrity. I take action for her health, her education and her voice.
I fund projects that engage girls in creating and executing programs and services that improve their own lives and those of their families and communities. These projects provide safe and inclusive community spaces where girls can develop and raise their voices. They also Designate safe space areas and times when girls can meet, talk, play and learn, away from community and family pressure.
I defend the right of every girl in the world to to define herself, name herself, create for herself and speak for herself. One of the best ways to do this is via education. We should provide schooling for all girls through lower secondary school, or to age 16, at a minimum, using subsidies, scholarships and any means necessary to make it affordable for disadvantaged girls
I know that poverty will end with her. I am her champion everyday….and I dare you to become one as well.
I invite and encourage you to write your own Girl Effect blog posts – during the week of October 4-11 and become and advocate for girls globally. Include your link on this page ( https://www.taramohr.com/girleffectposts/ ) so that your readers can see the other Girl Effect posts and add their own…. I dare you!