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New Law Bans Child Marriage in Sierra Leone
Photo by Majkl Velner on Unsplash This month Sierra Leone banned child marriage and laid out severe punishments for those engaging in marrying girls and boys off before their 18th birthday. 30 percent of girls in Sierra Leone are married before 18. More girls can focus on furthering their education instead of starting families at…
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How the U.S. promotes gender equality around the world
UNESCO recognizes October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child to promote girls’ empowerment and human rights. Above, girls attend a class in Kolkata, India, February 11. (© Indranil Aditya/NurPhoto/Getty Images) The United States works with international partners to advance gender equity and equality around the world. Speaking on the sidelines of the U.N.…
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Why The Eagle Huntress Is An Empowering Film for Young Girls
The Eagle Huntress narrated by Daisy Ridley follows the wonderful story of a teenage girl named Aisholpan who becomes the first eagle huntress in Mongolia. We are introduced to Aisholpan at a boarding school located in a small town miles from her nomadic home because schools are quite far from where she lives. It’s the last day of school…
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Featured Video: African Women Musicians Join ONE for Strong Girl Anthem
Today ONE launched its Strong Girl anthem to empower girls worldwide and as a follow-up to its recent Poverty is Sexist report. Strong Girl features vocalists Waje (Nigeria), Victoria Kimani (Kenya), Vanessa Mdee (Tanzania), Arielle T (Gabon), Gabriela (Mozambique), Yemi Alade (Nigeria), Selmor Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe), Judith Sephuma (South Africa), new talent Blessing Nwafor (South Africa) and the…
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UNESCO Report Shows Sobering Global Education Progress
Fifteen years ago an educational framework was set in Dakar, Senegal at the World Education Forum that established goals to achieve “Education for All” by 2015. Since then, the number of children who are now out of school has fallen by half, but there are still 58 million children out of school globally and around…
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How Four Organizations Use Storytelling and Data to Highlight Women’s Health and Global Progress
Over the past few days several organizations have focused on International Women’s Day by releasing reports on the progress of women and girls in a variety of sectors through interactive web sites, data, as well as maps. The following have stood out during the week. Doctors Without Borders Women’s health care is critical in many…
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Sex Trafficking of Girls Is an Underground American Problem
Last week I saw someone in my Twitter feed mention the new movie, The Long Night, that was recently featured on the New York Times. The Long Night is an online film by Tim Matsui and Media Storm and funded by the Alexia Foundation about girls who are sex trafficked in and around Seattle. I immediately watched the…
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10 Facts About Female Genital Mutilation You May Not Have Known #EndFGM
Today marks the UN’s International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. It is vitally important that we raise our collective voices today and frequently throughout the year to help stop the violence against young girls who are literally mutilated in the name of culture and custom when they have to endure a lifetime…
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Upcoming Conference: Women Advancement Forum (Banjul, Gambia)
Over the next few months we will be helping to promote one of the largest women’s conferences in Africa – the Women Advancement Forum. The forum will be held May 24 – 29, 2014 in Banjul, Gambia at the Sheraton Hotel. The Women Advancement Forum (WAF) is Africa’s most attended global gender conference. WAF is…
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The Importance of Clean Cookstoves – A Personal Experience
When I was in Tanzania in October I went into a traditional Massai hut where a mother was inside making beans in a kettle over a red hot fire. The fire was ridiculously hot and I couldn’t believe how the woman and her family could endure the heat and smoke from cooking. While I was…
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Push the Envelope for International Youth Day
To celebrate International Youth Day today, join Catapult.org, the leading crowdfunding site for girls’ and women’s issues, and fund a program that will specifically help girls in developing countries. Projects can be funded quickly and simply on Catapult. OXFAM: Provide education for 6,000 girls in Pakistan’s flooded regions by flood-proofing 30 schools and campaigning for the right of…
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The Importance of Education for Girls
Much of yesterday’s Women Deliver 2013 conversation centered around education for girls. Without at least a primary education girls in poor and middle income countries cannot properly contribute to their country’s economy nor to their household. Girls who are fortunate to prolong marriage are able to attend school longer than if they are married away by…
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15 of Our Tweets from Investing in Women’s Reproductive Health Plenary Session #WD2013
Expectant mothers in South Delhi at a Save the Children’s Mothers Group. May 24, 2013 Photos: Jennifer James
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Key Tweets from Investing in Women’s Reproductive Health Session #WD2013
(Above) Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO , Global Fund for Women Storify by Social Good Moms Mon, May 27 2013 19:42:41 Key Tweets from Investing in Women’s Reproductive Health Session On the first day of the Women Deliver 2013 conference, here are key tweets we read during the plenary session: Investing in Women’s Reproductive Health…
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A Look at Pathfinder’s ‘Women Who Dare’ Series
Pathfinder International, a leader in women’s sexual and reproductive health, launched a new series called, “Women Who Dare” on International Women’s Day celebrated on March 8. The series of interviews and stories feature daring women around the world who are doing groundbreaking work on behalf of women and girls. Women Who Dare includes Q&As with…
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Day of the Girl Posts From the Global Team of 200
As you probably already know yesterday was the first-ever International Day of the Girl. (Global Team of 200) Members of the Global Team of 200 wrote poignant posts about Day of the Girl and what it means to them. Read the posts here: DayoftheGirl More posts about International Day of the Girl: (Impatient Optimists) International Day of the…
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Female Genital Mutilation Banned Under New Somalian Constitution
Somalia has a new government and with it a new provision in its constitution in Title 2: Article 15: Liberty and Security of the Person that bans female genital mutilation (FGM). The new law states: Circumcision of girls is a cruel and degrading customary practice, and is tantamount to torture. The circumcision of girls is prohibited.…
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Honor Your Mother, Change a Life With BRAC
Our newest partner, BRAC, is celebrating mothers and changing lives at the same time. Mothers are the driving force behind BRAC’s success. They leverage their holistic approach to provide health and well-being to their entire family. That’s why every gift you give BRAC to invest in a woman gets multiplied. This Mother’s Day, celebrate all…
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New Partner Announcement – Girl Up
As the mom of two daughters, a pre-teen and teenager, I am thrilled to partner with Girl Up, an innovative campaign, of the United Nations Foundation, to address the needs of adolescent girls in developing countries. This “for girls, by girls” campaign mobilizes girls in the U.S. to raise awareness and funds for programs of the…