Shock has given way to
anger as thousands in cities everywhere took to the streets to demand
the Nigerian government, and other authorities, do more to rescue them.
"The Nigerian girls are
my sisters," said Malala Yousafzai, who after being shot in the head by
the Taliban for going to school launched The Malala Fund, which raises
money for girls' education initiatives globally.
The Malala Fund has now launched a Nigerian girls education campaign to support Nigerian organizations which are working to promote girls' schooling around the country.
Indeed, "Boko Haram"
translated means "Western education is sin." The militant group is one
of many that threaten the efforts of girls worldwide to go to school,
and to change their circumstances.
CNN's Girl Rising
looked at just some examples of the obstacles that many of the more
than 600 million adolescent girls living in developing countries face
every day -- obstacles that prevent them from going to school, from
freedom, and from simply being a child.
There are many ways to
help girls, like those kidnapped in Nigeria, who face persecution,
violence, poverty and other barriers to education.
GIVE
CNN and Impact Your World
don't accept donations but do help you find reputable places to give
your money and time. "CNN's Girl Rising" was the centerpiece of 10x10, a
global campaign to educate and empower girls. It created the 10x10 Fund for Girls' Education.
Donations to this fund
are distributed evenly among the film's nonprofit partners. Many of the
girls profiled in the film were helped by these organizations, and the
groups continue to work for girls' education in developing countries. As
little as $50 can educate a girl for a year.
CARE USA works
to help educate girls in some of the poorest, most desperate parts of
the rural areas in the mountains of Peru. Senna from "Girl Rising" was
helped by this organization.
GirlUp -- United Nations Foundation is a campaign inspiring American girls
to take action for girls in countries such as Ethiopia, Guatemala and
Liberia who face a lack of access to education and are susceptible to
child marriage, high maternal death rates and HIV infection.
The U.N. also spearheads the Girls' Education Initiative, a partnership of organizations that hope by 2015, children everywhere can complete free primary schooling.
Partners in Health
has worked in places such as Haiti, Rwanda, Malawi and Lesotho. They
try to help all children, especially girls, receive the health care and
social support needed to go to school. Wadley from "Girl Rising"
benefits from Partners in Health's work in Haiti.
Plan International USA tries to give girls around the world access to food, water, education, financial security
and protection from sexual violence and exploitation. Yasmin, the girl
in Egypt in "Girl Rising," was part of a Plan International USA program
helping to keep street girls safe.
Room to Read
focuses on helping young girls develop literacy skills and a habit of
reading. Their hope is to create a legacy of gender-equal education in
developing countries such as Nepal and Cambodia. Suma from "Girl Rising"
had the chance to learn because of Room to Read.
World Vision
supports girls' education in many countries through many initiatives.
Two of the girls in "Girl Rising" are World Vision-sponsored children:
Ruksana from India and Azmera from Ethiopia.
"Education is truly a
girl's best chance for a bright future," First Lady Michelle Obama said
in her weekly address, "not just for herself, but for her family and her
nation."
No comments:
Post a Comment