Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

World

International day of the girl is about empowerment

It's about giving all children the chance to be who they want to be, no matter where they’re growing up or what their gender is. But even though we have made incredible progress over the past 100 years, the progress hasn’t been spread fairly.

GENDER INEQUALITY STILL EXISTS.
Millions of girls continue to be married as children, miss out on basic education, and die from preventable causes. Now the coronavirus crisis has made the world even more unfair. Societies are in disarray and the poorest, most marginalised children are at risk of being left even further behind.

OUR NEW RESEARCH FOUND THAT UP TO 10 MILLION CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD ARE IN DANGER OF NEVER RETURNING TO SCHOOL DUE TO THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19 – WITH THE POOREST AND MOST MARGINALISED GIRLS AT GREATEST RISK.
Our new analysis also shows that this year 500,000 more girls are at risk of being forced into child marriage because of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we look towards a 'new normal' in the age of COVID-19, this is our once-in-a-lifetime chance to break the old rules and write new ones. To make the world better for children and change the future.

Save the Children is an ambitious organisation, working in some of the toughest places in the world, to save and improve the lives of girls and boys everywhere. But we can’t do this alone. In order to make faster progress we need to harness the power of businesses and brands, individuals and networks.

THIS YEAR, ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL, A NUMBER OF OUR PARTNERS ARE HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF GENDER EQUALITY AND SUPPORTING OUR VITAL WORK TO EMPOWER GIRLS AND HELP THEM TO STAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS.
From The Arsenal Foundation which is empowering girls through our Coaching for Life programme in Jordan and Indonesia, to partnerships with Pippi Longstocking and Rossano Ferretti. Together, we are working continually with our partners to develop innovative solutions to support our work, and -harness their brand, reach and expertise to ensure we can build a better future for girls and children everywhere.

· The Arsenal Foundation and Save the Children are supporting 2,000 girls in Indonesia and Jordan through bespoke football coaching sessions to build their self-esteem, resilience and help them to stand up for their rights. Coaching for Life is bringing together the expertise of both organisations to develop a robust evidence base in how the power of football can directly support children’s mental health and wellbeing.

· This year, to celebrate 75 years of the iconic fictional character Pippi Longstocking, The Astrid Lindgren Company has launched the Pippi of Today campaign, in partnership with Save the Children, to support girls on the move. The Astrid Lindgren Company has donated €750,000 to Save the Children globally to support girls who have been forced to leave their homes and are at risk of exploitation, early marriage and violence. A new global study from Save the Children shows that violence, hunger and the hope of a better future are all major factors for girls leaving their home countries in search of a better life.

· Rossano Ferretti is also supporting Save the Children’s work to empower girls around the world, giving all children the chance to be who they want to be, no matter where they’re growing up.

Karlina, 16, lives with six of her siblings in a slum in North Jakarta, Indonesia. Life is hard for the family – her father is too sick to work, so her mother struggles to make a living collecting bottles for recycling from rubbish dumps. Often there’s not enough food for the family to eat. Karlina is part of Arsenal and Save the Children’s Coaching for Life programme, she says:

“I have learnt so much from the Coaching for Life sessions. I’m a shy girl but I try to be more confident now. A lot of people say to me, you’re a girl you shouldn’t play football, you should learn to cook and help your mother at home. But when they see me playing they are like, wow, you’re good. Even the boys invite me to play at school. I feel free when I’m on the football pitch, it gives me the space I don’t have at home. Football helps me channel my energy. I feel like I can take on the world.”

AS A MOVEMENT, SAVE THE CHILDREN WANTS TO EMPOWER GIRLS IN ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD TO LIVE THEIR LIVES, SPEAK THEIR MINDS AND DETERMINE THEIR OWN FUTURES.
To highlight the incredible work our inspirational founder, Egglantyne Jebb, started more than 100 years ago, we have created a global female philanthropic movement, ONE HUNDRED STRONG, and as an extension of this - our Save the Children Women’s Network in the UK is beginning to take shape. This network aims to leverage women’s increasing influence – their voices, talents, networks and financial resources – to create transformational change for children. It will also enable members to build meaningful and supportive relationships and focus on highlighting extraordinary things that inspiring women are doing.

IF WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE FUTURE FOR GIRLS, WE NEED TO ACT NOW.
There’s no doubt the pandemic has made existing gender inequalities worse, but we mustn’t let things spiral any further. We need to raise girls’ voices, we need to end child marriage and we need to empower girls to make a better future for everyone.

We are unequivocally grateful to all our partners and supporters who are helping us to ensure every last child, no matter of their gender or whereabouts, survives, learns and is protected. Together we can help children become who they want to be.