UN Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign thanks White House for partnership to unite girls around the world
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The United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign recently partnered with the White House to host 200 U.S. teens to discuss the challenges faced by young girls in Africa. This event coincided with First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to Southern Africa that helped unite girls everywhere and focused the world’s attention on the need for education and health for girls in Africa and around the world. "We are grateful to the White House for helping the Girl Up Campaign connect girls in the U.S. with girls in developing countries through this extraordinary event," said Girl Up director Gina Reiss-Wilchins. "Girls around the world have the same attributes, hopes and dreams, and deserve the same opportunities, regardless of where they live. We thank the White House for efforts like this to help raise awareness about such an issue and a cause that affects us all."
There are more than 1.2 billion young people between the ages 10 and 19 in the world today. Half of these are girls, making them the largest youth generation in history. Research shows that investing in girls’ health, education and empowerment leads to better educated, safer, healthier and economically powerful girls. However, many adolescent girls in developing countries face challenges that make it difficult to achieve their potential.
Girl Up addresses the needs of adolescent girls in developing countries by mobilizing girls in the U.S. to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the hardest-to-reach girls. To date, over 150,000 U.S. teens have joined the movement to support their peers in developing countries. For more information, please visit www.GirlUp.org.
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About Girl Up
Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. Campaign supporters are encouraged to give a “High Five” to girls in developing countries by donating $5 or more to provide girls with such basic needs as access to school supplies, clean water, life-saving health services, safety from violence and more. Founding campaign partners include MTV Networks, National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, Women’s National Basketball Association, Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, Girls Inc., and Camp Fire USA. Go to GirlUp.org to learn more.
About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation, a public charity was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. We build and implement public/private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and work to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. Through our campaigns and partnerships, we connect people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The campaigns we conduct reduce child mortality, empower women and girls, create a new energy future, secure peace and human rights, and promote technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are helping the UN advance the eight global targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.
Media Contact:
Tina Musoke
202-496-6386
tmusoke@unfoundation.org
