The United Nations has declared today, October 11th, as International Day of the Girl Child. Why have a day dedicated to this observance?

– An estimated 129 million girls are currently not in school, with 97 million of these of secondary school age
– Of those who do attend school, 60 million experience gender violence on their way to, or while in school
– 500 million girls and women worldwide have no access to the products and facilities needed to manage their own menstrual health
– Women and girls spend more than 200 million hours a day – more than 22,000 years – fetching water

Read more about how Rotary is working to address these, and other related issues, in Past R.I. Director Elizabeth Usovicz’s blog post here: https://blog.rotary.org/2023/10/11/celebrate-international-day-of-the-girl-child/#more-15000

To learn more about President Gordon R. McInally’s Girls’ Empowerment Initiative focused on elevating the voices and unlocking the power of girls and women around the world, see these resources:

– Empowering Girls Overview
– Empowering Girls Brochure
– Empowering Girls Presentation
– Empowering Girls Talking Points