The Girl Store
In the western world, when pregnant couples are asked if they're hoping for a boy or girl, they generally say, "We don't care, just as long as it's healthy." Most westerners bring their new baby—male or female—into a world of love and equal opportunity. In the eastern world, it's a bit different.
In parts of India, having a boy is revered as the greatest gift on earth; little girls are considered quite the opposite. Boys are educated, fed, clothed, and honored. Their sisters are neglected, pulled out of school to work at home, and often sold into child marriages or sexual slavery.
The Girl Store is a non-profit organization that buys back the lives of young Indian girls. It's the first e-commerce site where users can buy school supplies (all under $20) and prevent a girl from being sold into a life of abuse and manipulation; a life that isn't hers. Just $65 is enough money to keep a girl in grade 1–7 fully supplied for an entire year.
Their exquisite website highlights stories of dozens of girls who have benefited from their efforts. Like the plight of Farheen Begum, "a delightful young child." Her family's dire financial situation forces her to sacrifice her studies to do household chores. There's also ten-year-old Asra Begum whose father passed away when she was just three. Despite her single mother's financial struggles, Asra earns excellent grades and wants to become a computer engineer.
Support girls like Farheen and Asra by buying pencils, math sets, lunch boxes, and uniforms. Every purchase comes with a tutor to close gaps in the girl's education due to being kept out of the classroom for family obligations.
Visit The Girl Store, purchase supplies, and buy a girl her life back.