Girls can play a crucial role in solving the most persistent development problems we face in the world today.
When we include girls in education, health and economic investment we have a better chance of preventing issues such as child marriage, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and breaking the inter-generational cycle of poverty. But girls can’t do it alone; they need the world to listen to them and invest in their potential.
What exactly is the girl effect?
The girl effect is a movement. It’s about leveraging the unique potential of adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves, their families, their communities, their countries and the world. It’s about making girls visible and changing their social and economic dynamics by providing them with specific, powerful and relevant resources.
Created by the Nike Foundation in collaboration with the NoVo Foundation, United Nations Foundation and Coalition for Adolescent Girls, the girl effect is fuelled by hundreds of thousands of girl champions who recognise the untapped potential of adolescent girls living in poverty.
How does the girl effect address poverty?
- In India, adolescent pregnancy results in nearly $10billion in lost potential income per year.
- In Uganda, 85 per cent of girls leave school early, resulting in $10billion in lost potential earnings.
- By delaying child marriage and early birth for one million girls in Bangladesh, the country could potentially add $69billion to the national income over these girls’ lifetimes.
It’s an investment we cannot afford to overlook.
Sounds great - what can I do?
Make the case for girls. We need more people to get the word out, and we need more advocates for change in government, business, healthcare, education and at grassroots level. This is where you come in.
I’M ON BOARD. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Hundreds of thousands of amazing people and organisations across the globe are getting involved to put girls on the global development agenda.
Adolescent girls have the unique potential to stop poverty before it starts – but they need your help. They need information, healthcare and education. They need laws to change, money in their pockets and their communities and governments to realise their true value.
To keep girls on the global agenda and ensure massive resources get to them, we need your help, passion and energy to spread the word.
If you’re a policy player: we ask that you recognise the potential of adolescent girls and help to make girls a priority on the global development agenda. You’re not on your own – we’re here to help you do it. Need the economic facts? Check out the girl effect factsheet. Need case studies to prove the point? Take a tour – we’ve got them. Need to know the current state of girl data? Take a look at the gaps on the global data maps.
If you’re an NGO: bring girls to the centre of your programming. We’re giving you toolkits, insights and contacts to make it easier for you to involve girls in programmes every step of the way. And if what you need isn’t here – let us know. We’ll go after the information.
If you’re a teacher: bring the girl effect to the classroom with videos, presentations and our factsheet. Inspire a new generation of supporters for the girl effect.
If you have money: donate to a project that’s unleashing the girl effect through the Girl Effect Fund on GlobalGiving.org.
If you have a month: start a girl effect movement of your own. Throw a gala, host a basketball game, assemble a community group or plan a film festival. Set a goal – whether it’s raising $10K or demanding your local government begins supporting the rights of girls globally – and start working towards it. Then pick the project your hard work will support from a list of organisations championed by Girl Effect Fund via GlobalGiving.org.
If you have a day: volunteer with an organisation that supports girls in your local community.
If you have a minute: tell one person about the power of investing in adolescent girls and dare them to do the same. Share something you’ve seen on the site. Get people talking.
If you’re a social networker: use your network to create momentum and connect with other girl effect supporters. See the share icons on everything on the site? Use them. Get people talking about the girl effect. Got a way with words? Write a blog post. We’ll give you plenty to talk about. Follow the Girl Effect on Facebook or join our conversation on Twitter for the latest news. The opportunities to connect and spread the word are endless, and you never know the impact it could make.
www.girleffect.org