International Day of the Girl 10.11.12

I often say that one of the best things that ever happened to me is becoming a mom. A new person that never existed before suddenly knocked on my doorstep. The whole process of motherhood came without a manual, there's really no special instructions along with it and as time goes by you just learn to dance on your own, with your own music.

At the first sight of my daughter, the experience brought a fusion of emotions-anticipation, anxiety, selflessness and deep ardour-unconditional love. A new person emerged from me, one who will move mountains and swim oceans and who is willing to do everything for her child, I guess all moms are. We all want the best for our children. At 21 months, my daughter has showed her fancy for self expression. At her young age even though she hasn't completely developed her speaking skills, she can communicate with us and express her wants and demands. That makes me think a night, what would she like to be when she grows up? What will be her interests? 

Today October 11, 2012 marks the first ever International Day for the Girl. According to the United Nations:

"this annual girls’ rights day will “help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.” http://www.girlup.org/

Not many of us know these alarming facts that I also just recently discovered : 

"Globally, 1 in 3 girls around the world is denied an education by the daily realities of poverty, violence and discrimination. Every day, girls are taken out of school, married far too young, and subjected to violence in school. Not only is this unjust, it’s also a huge waste of potential with serious global consequences." http://plan-international.org/

"One in nine girls or 15 Million has been forced into marriage between the ages of 10 and 14" http://www.care.org

"Millions of girls are being denied an education right at a time when it has the power to transform their lives and the world around them. Making it through both primary and secondary education is critical to girls being able to help break the cycle of poverty." http://plan-international.org/

As a mother, it is completely unimaginable to think that my daughter will have the same fate as mentioned in these facts. We all want a better world for our daughters, an education and a choice for whatever person they want to become. It is a heart-breaking reality that many girls are not equally as fortunate as my (and your) daughter.

As part of the Global Team of 200, I want to share with you some organizations that initiated the first steps in addressing these distressing situations. I would really appreciate if you can take a moment and read through the websites, support their causes and take action with their initiatives. 

• Help End Child Marriage of http://www.care.org/
• Because I am a Girl of http://plan-international.org/
• Basic Math of http://10x10act.org/

Let me end this post by an inspirational quote from Mother Teresa :

 

"Yesterday is gone. 

Tomorrow has not yet come. 

We have only today. 

Let us begin." 

 

 

This is a post written for Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good that concentrates on issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health.