XX. I am a Girl. I am a Female. I am a Woman.

Here are some statistics I want to share that I got from the Plan UK website:
-Every 3 seconds a girl is coaxed, coerced, or forced into marriage.
-1 in 3 girls globally are denied secondary education.
-At least 75 million girls around the world are not in school. This isn’t fair. Ignoring it isn’t smart.
-Investing in a girl’s education is vital – it helps her to know she has rights, exercise them when she needs to
   and achieve her potential.
-It is also central to unlocking the cycle of poverty.

• An educated girl is less likely to marry and to have children whilst she is still a child.
• An educated girl is more likely to be literate, healthy and survive into adulthood, as are her children.
• An educated girl is more likely to reinvest her income back into her family, community and country.

This sickens me. Sexism is wrong.

Everyday something comes up in my daily life where I recognize that I am a woman. While I live a very privileged and blessed life, millions of girls and women around the world do not. Women daily face oppression in the United States and all throughout the world. I want to take a moment and share an interesting article I found online in the Times. I encourage you to take a look at the video and then go to the Plan UK website.

This is an excerpt from the article/video I found on the Times:

"Developed by Plan UK, a non-profit organization that helps children in third-world countries, the billboard will promote the group’s “Because I’m a Girl” campaign. The effort is designed to help sponsor girls in developing countries receive a proper education. Men won’t be able to see the full ad, and will be directed to the organization’s website instead, to show men “a glimpse of what it’s like to have basic choices taken away.” The fairer sex, on the other hand, will see a full 40-second video promoting Plan UK’s cause."


Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/23/face-recognizing-billboard-shows-ad-to-women-only/?xid=newsletter-weekly#ixzz1ncMlVTdC

 

Here is the video:

 

I would also strongly encourage you to go look at the website this video came from. It is called Plan UK, and is doing some amazing work for females all around the world.

Here is a link to the website: http://www.plan-uk.org/

 

After reading all of this I want to encourage you to affirm the females in your life. Encourage them to stand up for their rights. Remind them to be thankful for what they have, but to not be complacent

 

I am thankful for all the strong, powerful, beautiful, encouraging women in my life. I have been beyond blessed by my mom, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and friends. I am so thankful for them and hope you tell the women in your life that you love them and respect them for who they are.