The Day Of The Girl
The bad news: 1 in 3 girls in the developing world are married before the age of 18, diminishing their health, well-being, and even their length of life. The good news: there's something you can do about it today.
According to CARE.org, "Child marriage puts the life of a girl at risk every three seconds, while diminishing her chances at education, endangering her health, cutting short her personal growth and development -- and increasing the likelihood that she'll remain poor for life." And it's truly something to pay attention to: 60 million girls around the world are forced into marriage before the age of 18. Placed at higher risk of being physically abused, contracting HIV and other diseases, and dying while pregnant or giving birth, the practice is alarming on multiple levels. But the good news is, there's something you can do about it right this very second.
Today, October 11, 2012, has been designated the "International Day of the Girl" in an effort to combine efforts to put an end to child marriage. CARE.org has a page dedicated to educating the public with facts on the matter, as well as a portal for contacting decision-makers like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a way to donate to CARE to help girls around the world attend secondary school -- an important shift that gives them opportunities they'd never otherwise have under current conditions.
Join us today in helping CARE.org fulfill their mission of ending child marriage for good and giving girls everywhere the opportunity to excel. If there were ever a time to promote girl power on a global level, that time would be right now.
About CARE.org
Last year, CARE worked in 84 countries around the world, supporting 1,105 poverty-fighting projects to reach 122 million people, more than half of whom are women.
CARE not only feeds the hungry; it also helps tackle underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. Recognizing that women and children suffer disproportionately from poverty, CARE places special emphasis on working with women to create permanent social change.
