INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL SUCCESSES!!!
(I would totally recommend watching the film Whale Rider if you need some inspiration about being a girl leader when everything is stacked against you, and no one believes in you.)
Right before International Day of the Girl I received some pretty exciting emails about some of the successes that have happened since last year's celebration. The first one is from Plan's Because I am a Girl Campaign.
"Last year we asked you to raise your hand in support of quality education for girls. With your help, and just in time for the annual International Day of the Girl on October 11, 2013, we've reached a significant milestone: 1 million supporters! Because of people like you raising their hands and voices around the world, 20 million girls have been reached by Because I am a Girl programs.
Your support has been remarkable, but girls around the globe still need your help. International Day of the Girl is an incredible opportunity to show your continued commitment to girl's rights, education, and empowerment. Reaffirm your dedication to helping girls by visiting: http://www.planusa.org/becauseiamagirl/# and help us hit our new goal of 4 million hands raised by 2014!"
The second one is from the Somaly Mam foundation, who officially opened a salon on this year's International Day of the Girl.
"New York (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - With the hope that new jobs in the beauty industry will provide new lives for girls scarred by sex slavery, Cambodian anti-trafficking activist Somaly Mam cut the ribbon on Friday for a beauty shop bearing her name in one of the country's prime tourist destinations.
The Somaly Mam Beauty Salon- located in Siem Riep, Cambodia's sixth largest city and gateway to the ancient Angkor Wat temples - is a social enterprise designed to school trafficking survivors the beauty salon trade, with the aim of enabling them to open their own salons at the end of their training.
For many years, the salon has been my dream and now it is becoming a reality," said Somaly Mam in a statement. "The salon will not only offer training and economic opportunity, it will serve as a place for visitors to receive services and ultimately to learn more about trafficking and what we can all do to combat it."
