International Day of The Girl
Today is one of my most favorite days: International Day of The Girl.
Last year, I had the pleasure of working with one of my dream companies, Girl Rising. Together, we launched Girl Rising India, which has become a nationwide movement to raise awareness for girls' education and equality. We also worked with FLOTUS to launch her #LetGirlsLearn initiative, which exists to address and solve global challenges that are preventing girls from becoming the women they are destined to be. Can we have three cheers for Michelle? Am I right? FLOTUS Hall of Fame.
In case you aren't aware of some of the basic issues affecting girls around the world, here are some quick points:
“If India enrolled 1% more girls in secondary school, their GDP would rise by $5.5 billion.”
- 65 million girls are not in school
- If all women had a primary education, 1.7 million children would be saved from stunting from malnutrition.
- If all women had a secondary education, child deaths would be cut in half, saving 3 million lives.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, if all women completed primary education, maternal deaths would be reduced by 70%, saving almost 50,000 lives.
These are just a few.
With that said, I'm so happy to help in announcing the premiere of their film with First Lady Michelle Obama, We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World. My friends at Girl Rising have been working hard to make this a reality, and I would encourage you to tune in tomorrow at 9PM on CNN (if you're in the US!) to learn more about the importance of girls' education, and the immense affect it has on the world. Together, we rise!
Some other helpful links and organizations!
Matt Damond doing it RIGHT. If a woman's primary job is to get water, how can she provide for her family? If a girl's primary job is to get water, how can she learn?
USAID Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
United Nations Girls' Education Initiative