October 11 has been designated International Day of the Girl by the United Nations. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. This year's theme is: With Her: A Skilled GirlForce.
Of the 1 billion young people – including 600 million adolescent girls – that will enter the workforce in the next decade, more than 90% of those living in developing countries will work in the informal sector, where low or no pay, abuse and exploitation are common. (Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/girlchild/)
Niger, West Africa, has a reputation of having one of the highest rates of child brides. The country's legal age limit for marriage is 15. Child marriages have negative impact on a girl's health, education, and future! Our team in Niger is attempting to address this issue through the Niger Vocational Center for girls ages 12 - 19. Father's must sign a contract indicating they will not marry off their daughter until she has completed this three-year program. At the end of the final year, each girl writes a National exam and is coached in starting her own business.
Education is the route to transformation. An educated girl is more likely to earn greater income, raise a smaller family, have healthier children, participate in political processes, and send her own children to school.
Investing in girls makes moral and economic sense. Giving them solid skills to earn a living helps them, their families, and their children for the next generation. When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man. And when you invest in a girl in a wholistic sense, also focusing on health and hygiene, nutrition, sexual health, expressing themselves through their own ideas and thoughts, discussing faith, prayer, and a sense of purpose, you help build a young woman who can stand the storm around her and make smart, educated decisions for her own life.
This video gives a glimpse into the impact of this ministry...
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