October 11 is International Day of the Girl

In December of 2011, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared October 11 as International Day of the Girl.

Since then, October 11 has been honored around the world as a monumental day to call attention to the injustices that young girls experience across the globe, while also celebrating the achievements and progress made to advance gender equality.

This year’s theme is, “Our time is now—our rights, our future.” At LiveYourDream.org we believe that the best way to give girls a brighter future is through access to education. Our Dream It, Be It program provides girls who face obstacles with guidance, training and resources that will prepare them for career success.

You can celebrate International Day of the Girl, with a special one-time gift to help girls achieve their educational goals through Dream It, Be It.

There are 1.1 billion girls in the world. That means 1.1 billion minds of intelligence, hearts of compassion, and lives of potential. However, lack of opportunity, inadequate investment, and inequality create a world in which girls are deprived of their basic human rights and a world that never really reaches its full potential because of it. 

According to the United Nations:  

  • 12 million girls will be married before the age of 18, and  
  • 21 million will be pregnant as teens in developing countries.  
  • Millions of other young girls will be denied access to education, technology, healthcare, and basic fairness and rights in day-to-day life.  

These issues, among others, stand at the forefront of what International Day of the Girl was designed to bring attention to with the belief that awareness, advocacy, and action can create change. “Our time is now—our rights, our future” is this year’s theme for this international day of celebration and call to action. Let’s seize the opportunity to be inspired by what adolescent girls see as the change they want and the solutions they are leading and demanding across the globe! 

In celebration of International Day of the Girl, here are a few ways you can get involved to help empower girls everywhere:

Raise awareness about gender inequality and how it affects girls

Worldwide, girls continue to face barriers to their wellbeing and success just because of their gender. Help rally others behind this cause by sharing the facts on social media.

Show your support by sending a motivational message to girls: By sending a message of encouragement to girls in our Dream It, Be It mentoring program, you remind them that their hopes—and struggles—are valid. Show these girls that there are people who believe in their power. Offer a kind word of advice or simply share an inspiring quote you love.

Make a gift to help girls achieve their education goals: Your donation today, will help ensure that thousands of girls across our 19 countries and territories have access to the Dream It, Be It program and receive lessons and mentoring to help them set and achieve their goals, move forward after setbacks or failures, and discover career opportunities.

Share our Dream It, Be It infographic on social media

Join us in commemorating the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl with your fellow change makers across the world!