Have you heard of the Girl Effect? Watch this video first.
Did you know...
...that today, more than 600 million girls live in the developing world.
...that more than one-quarter of the population in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa are girls and young women ages 10 to 24.
...that approximately one-quarter of girls in developing countries are not in school.
...that one girl in seven in developing countries marries before age 15.
...that one-quarter to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before age 18; 14 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth in developing countries each year.
...that a survey in India found that girls who married before age 18 were twice as likely to report being beaten, slapped, or threatened by their husbands as were girls who married later.
...and that 75 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds living with HIV in Africa are female, up from 62 percent in 2001.
[source here]
Yeah.
So this is the girl effect. The first time I watched that video, I was first kind of shocked to realize what goes on in other countries and these places and how bad it is. And then I was even more shocked to realize that the solution really could be so simple. Just a 12 year-old girl.
I feel like I, as an American girl, as a student, as blogger, as a girl who is living a productive and healthy life, and as a girl with so many resources, need to make a difference. When I watch videos like these, I don't want to just sit around deciding my outfit for tomorrow. I don't want to look at magazines or runway shows or design clothes. Because as much as I love doing those things, I have a responsibility to make a difference and spread the word.
So I'm sharing this with you and I hope you'll blog about it too. We need the world to know about this because it's important! We can make a difference!
And how can we make a difference? You might be wondering. Well first, you can blog about this. You can share one of the videos from
here on facebook or twitter. You can
donate money, because even a little bit helps. Girls get less than 2 cents of every dollar! How much do you get paid at your job? You can talk about this with other people or give presentations as well. There is so much you can do!
I think the thing that really gets to me the most with this is the fact that the twelve year-old girl in the video could have been me. She is just like me, she was just born in a different situation. I'm so blessed to be where I am and I want to bless a twelve year-old girl's life as well. Who's with me? Let the Girl Effect run wild!!
Go to
girleffect.org for more information. I'm linking up
here, so if you want to join the Girl Effect blogging campaign, please write a blog post about it, link up, share, and read others' posts! :)
