TIME Magazine Article: To Fight Poverty, Invest in Girls

TIME Magazine has recently published a great article addressing the need to focus more development aid on girls and recognizing those who are empowering teen girls to give back to the global community. Nancy Gibbs, the author of the piece, highlights the sad fact that "the leading cause of death for girls 15 to 19 worldwide is not accident or violence or disease; it is complications from pregnancy. Girls under 15 are up to five times as likely to die while having children than are women in their 20s, and their babies are more likely to die as well." It's this tragedy that Women Deliver is working so hard to change.

One of the Women Deliver partners and supporters has been highlighted in the article for advocating for girls and women to change the world. The United Nations Foundation believes that helping girls succeed is essential in the global drive to eliminate poverty and create a better, healthier, safer world. Studies have shown that an extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10 to 20% and that an extra year of secondary school increases that statistic by 15 to 25% more. Girls who stay in school for seven or more years typically marry four years later and have two fewer children than girls who drop out. That’s why UNF has invested over $44 million in UN programs that support adolescent girls in the developing world, and why UNF launched the Girl Up campaign last year to connect girls in the U.S. with their peers around the world.

The Girl Up campaign gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders.

Campaign supporters are encouraged to give a "High Five" to girls in developing countries by donating $5 or more to provide girls with such basic needs as access to school supplies, clean water, life-saving health services, safety from violence, and more. To give a High Five and learn more, visit GirlUp.org.

Pick up a copy of TIME and share or forward the article here to your friends, family, and colleagues.
Learn more about Girl Up.