I have two girls that are growing into young women. My girls are smart, funny, and making plans and dreams for college and their future. They both love to watch the TV show 'Say yes to the dress' and envision what their special day will be like. I too have dreams for them: a fulfilling education, time giving back to their community and one day finding a mate who will respect and love them for who they are while creating a partnership for life.
Sadly, there are girls around the world where these dreams will never become a reality. Here is what I learned about child marriage from www.care.org
- 25,000 girls become child brides every single day
- 1/2 of girls in developing countries become mothers as children
- The leading cause of death among these child brides is complications during pregnancy or child birth
- Babies of child brides are likely to die as babies, be born prematurely, have low birth weight and be infected with HIV
- One in nine girls has been force into marriage between the ages of 10-14
How much do YOU know about child marriage? Take this quiz and find out, I did.
October 11, 2012 is the first International Day of the Girl
Take action by:
- sending an email to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- join Facebook and Twitter #unite4girls and share what you've learned about child marriage,
- donate to www.care.org. $49 can help keep a girl in school for a year and help prevent her from becoming a child bride.
This post supports the International Day of the Girl on October 11th on behalf of CARE.org and Charitable Influence, a network of bloggers using their voices for good.
