International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (Guest Blogger Melanie Gorka)

Join the world is standing up for the right of girls to say no to Female Genital Mutilation.  Today is International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.  Maybe the most violent act that a girl is forced to undergo, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a violent and unnecessary procedure and it always breaks my heart to read the trauma that girls go through during this procedure. The permanent disfigurement of a girl’s genitalia is a violation of their dignity and over 100 million girls around the world have had to endure FGM.

“The feeling was indescribable. I didn’t move, telling myself the more I did, the longer the torture would take. Unfortunately, my legs began to quiver and shake uncontrollably of their own accord, and I prayed, Please, God, let it be over quickly. Soon it was, because I passed out. Lying there alone with my legs still tied, I could do nothing but wonder, why? What was it all for? At that age I didn’t understand anything about sex. All I knew was that I had been butchered with my mother’s permission. I suffered as a result of my circumcision, but I was lucky. Many girls die from bleeding to death, shock, infection or tetanus. Considering the conditions in which the procedure is performed, it’s surprising that any of us survive.” Waris Darie

The Facts:

• Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), or female genital cutting, refers to a number of practices which involve cutting away part or all of a girl’s external genitalia.
• Mutilated/cut infants, girls and women face irreversible lifelong health risks
• Approximately 100 to 140 million girls and women living today have been subjected to FGM/C in Africa and Yemen.
• This act is carried out for religious reasons, perceived health, sociological and sexual reasons. FGM creates irreparable damage and has no known benefits to girls.
• The side effects of FGM are frequently infection that can lead to death, infertility, decreased sexual pleasure, intense pain, intense trauma and many other physical and psychological damages.
• For More Information: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/index.html or http://www.unfpa.org/endingviolence/home.html

Not only is the procedure painful and traumatic, the practice of FGM takes place in areas that don’t necessarily have access to the best medical facilities if any at all. In a violent twist this already abusive procedure is sometimes carried out with any sharp object that can be found from a knife to a rusty tin can and just about anything in between. Abuse against girls doesn’t get much worse than FGM, especially when it is considered by many religions and societies to be a rite of passage from girl to woman.

Is the practice going to be afflicting girls forever? The more education given to people about the dangerous health implications and the traumatic side effects of this unnecessary procedure hopefully will make FGM stop. There is some good news: countries like Ethiopia, Uganda, Senegal and Burkina Faso are working hard to end FGM in their countries.  But, there is still a lot to do and the international community – and individuals like you – need to continue to put pressure on countries where FGM is common to ban the practice.

Being a Girl in a Haitian Camp

So, the press around the disaster in Haiti has cooled off, but that doesn’t mean that the issues faced by those affected by the earthquake are fixed or over.

I’ve talked before about how women and girls are affected by natural disasters and now, a couple of weeks after the disaster, we are starting to hear stories about real experiences of girls in Haiti.

Learn more about Marie’s experience of being a girl in a Haitian tent city:

16 year old Marie’s life is already a struggle in post-quake Haiti, but it will become even more difficult in three months when she gives birth to her first child.

The child’s father is not around. Marie lives with her and her mum, cousin and sister. The women are living in a shelter of sheets that doesn’t really keep the rain out, in the middle of a huge tent city.

They sleep on a platform of stones covered with cardboard and a few blankets and pillows. The heat in the tent is stifling. Dust from all the rubble, and fumes from nearby burning garbage, fills the air.

Food is in very short supply. “The water we fetch from a nearby pump is not safe for drinking. I am really worried what will happen once the rains start.”…Read More

As well, the just-launched PlanYouth.org features virtual village tours, where you can check out their 360 degree videos with footage from these tent cities in Haiti.  I had a look at them today and its like you’re walking around on the streets of Port Au Prince – here’s one from Champs de Mars in the centre of the city.  While you’re there, join the Because I am a Girl club on the site and stay tuned for updates.

All you Single Ladies out there!

One of Because I am a Girl’s supporters is throwing a socially-conscious Valentines Day Singles Party to raise money for the Girl Fund! The event will feature DJs, dancing, desserts, makeovers, and a photobooth.  For those of you single 20-somethings and on the prowl, this is the event for you:

There will also be great giveaways from the event’s sponsors:

Check out the Facebook invite here.

(ps, if he liked it he should have put a ring on it!)

Editing the Because I Am A Girl Documentary

Our editor Jon Eagan hard at work !

What is microcredit and how does it work for women? by Guest Blogger Melanie Gorka

Small is better: microloans go a long way in creating economic security in developing countries and Plan has many microcredit programs that help women and children to have sustainable incomes all while being involved in their communities.  But what is microcredit exactly?

My professor once told this story to describe how microcredit works:

On his way to the office every morning, a man saw a woman selling pineapples near his work.  He ate at her stand a lot, and noticed that she worked hard for the small amount she got each day.  One day, he asked her what would make the biggest different for her business, and she replied, “If I just had $50, I could buy a second cooler and I wouldn’t have to go back home to refill mine with more stock in the middle of the day.  It takes a long time and I can’t sell pineapples during that time.”  He gave her the $50, and within a short time she had doubled her pineapple sales and paid him back the $50.  The man realized just how much difference a very small amount could make.

For a more technical answer, here’s a great wiki page on what and where the idea for Microcredit came from! Basically the way these programs work is by giving small loans to farmers or small enterprises that are easily accesible and have low interest rates and often the money that is paid back goes into community funds or lent out to other people who need them.

Hilary Clinton kind of sums it up in this quote:

“You know the proverb, Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime…Well, if you teach a woman to fish, she’ll feed the whole village”

It has been shown that women are often more successful in using microcredit programs to finance their households then men, and are more likely to share their resources among their community. The best microcredit loans go hand and hand with skill building and training programs. In Mali West Africa a Plan International program gives farmers the chance to access credit and when the farmers pay back the loan portion of the financing, the money goes into a community fund. This money is then used for more agricultural projects but also the money goes into education, health programs and other community needs.

By giving women the ability to improve their economic security we create a ripple effect. By empowering and improving the lives of women, they become teachers and advocates who pass on their knowledge and expertise to their community and to their children.

Roma: Event Planner Extraordinare!

Every year, Roma picks a charity that she raises funds and awareness for, and this year its Because I am a Girl.

Over the holidays, Roma got her friends together for a Wine and Cheese party at her home.  About 40 girls came and she was able to raise over $1000 through online donations.  Now those 40 girls are out in the world and spreading the word about Because I am a Girl as well!

Next up is Roma’s Valentines Day event in Downtown Toronto, RENDEZVOUS: Toronto’s Singles Soiree with a Cause.  The event will feature DJs, dancing, desserts, makeovers, a photobooth, and giveaways from sponsors.

Roma has always believed in Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” And she’s living it for girls:

“I strongly believe that one girl at a time, we can definitely make this world a better place.  Its simple to me…the more people that get involved with Because I am a Girl, the more girls we can help in the developing world.”

As a charity champion and someone who has organized lots of events for a cause, Roma has some tips for other girls that want to get involved and host an event:

• Do what you love or are good at.  If its baking, have a bake sale!  If its sewing, have a crafts sale!  You just have to think out of the box and think positive…anything is possible!
• Ask yourself, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”  When it comes to Because I am a Girl, there is no way to fail because every dollar counts!
• People like to go out and socialize and party, so why not invite them out to a party for a good cause?
• Be fearless.  Never let anyone discourage you.  Always be strong.

Because I am a Girl Around the World

We’re not alone here in Canada on a quest to invest in girls…the Because I am a Girl Campaign is happening all over the world.  Yesterday I was checking out some of the other sites, and I found this slideshow from Plan Australia with this great message:

This is not just a campaign about girls
This is a campaign about everyone

Because investment in girls is the key to breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and the greatest force for global change.

Girls are less likely than boys to survive to their first birthday

During childhood girls can be burdened by chores such as childcare and food preparation that prevent them from going to school.

During their teen years the world expands for boys but contracts for girls. girls have fewer opportunities and are at greater risk of forced marriage, early pregnancy and HIV.

By age 24 there are far less women in the workforce than men in ALL developing countries

So what would happen if we did invest in girls?

We would transform their lives and they would in turn lift their families out of poverty.

(or watch the shorter video)

Cambridge Turbos Support Because I am a Girl

This week’s girl that rocks is Christina M, and her teammates on the Cambridge Turbos Ringette team.  I guess that makes it girls that rock!

The team decided to hold a Bake Sale and sell tickets for one of their games with all proceeds going to Because I am a Girl’s Girl Fund, with $500 as their goal.  Together, they raised $1060!

Christina became involved with international issues when she travelled to Zambia and “saw first hand how little people had. It was also particularly clear that children and young adults could often not afford to go to school.”  When she learned about the Because I am a Girl campaign, she decided that her favourite sport was the best way to fundraise for the cause and also raise awareness  about the movement amongst young girls.

Ringette “is a Canadian game that was first introduced in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario. Developed originally for girls, ringette is a fast-paced team sport on ice in which players use a straight stick to pass, carry, and shoot a rubber ring to score goals.”  Christina and the Cambridge Turbos have won the last two National Championships and the last World Cup Championship.  Find out more about ringette here.

But, the Turbos aren’t done winning or campaigning yet.  At the end of January they are putting on a Ringette clinic for young girls with the registration fee (minimum $5) going to the Because I am a Girl campaign.

It took Christina’s interest in the Because I am a Girl movement to get the ball rolling (or in this case, the ring), but she credits her teammates with making the event a success:”I knew I wanted to help in some way, but getting my team involved made it so much easier.”

Much Music VJ Sarah Taylor heads to El Salvador with Plan Canada

This week, Much Music VJ Sarah Taylor is travelling with Plan Canada to El Salvador to check out first hand Plan’s work.  She’s going to visit a group of youth and their parents who have been involved in an anti-violence campaign.  Through the project, youth learn about their rights, and then create performances and presentations to spread the message.

Follow Sarah on twitter and on the Much Music blog, and stay tuned for a guest post from her here on the Because I am a Girl blog.

Young women, Motherhood and Education – A Guest Post from Melanie Gorka

The summer after I finished my first year of University, I worked at a home for pregnant and mothering teens. It had been open for about a year and housed up to four girls at any given time. The space was a safe place for girls to live while they were pregnant or new mothers. The eight girls I met during that summer were living there because they were ostracized by their family or had been living with a boyfriend and had nowhere else to go. It was a unique environment because the girls had access to care for their children when they would go to school in the fall and also they had food and shelter to find a job if they were not in school. The girls who have been helped by the program have flourished under the care and resource the home provides.

I wondered about girls in other parts of the world. There exists already a disparity in the access to education for girls. Girls who are also mothers don’t have the opportunity to re-enter the education system like the girls I knew in the home. There is no one to care for children in a single parent home if the girl is an orphan and taking care of her siblings. There is no one to watch over the children while the girl goes to school or work. Being forced into marriage at a young age forces a young girl to become a woman much too soon and takes away her chances at a bright future.  From the words of one of the girls in the Because I am a Girl study,

“I wish I had not married so young and had babies so young. For me it is too late now, but my message to all teenage girls is do not marry before age 20 and wait to have children until you are 22 that is the right age for childbearing, when a woman is mature and can look after herself and her baby.” Ganga, Nepal.

Plan is helping girls by investing in education so that they don’t have to become young mothers and so that they have better resources to help their families. The BRIGHT Project has helped girls in Burkina Faso go to school who would not have otherwise had access. BRIGHT, or the “Burkinabé Response to Improve Girls Chances to Succeed…achieves high levels of school enrolment and graduation rates for girls by creating supportive learning environments in 132 communities across 10 provinces.”

By supporting Because I Am A Girl, I know that we can make a difference in the life of girls.  I’ve seen what education and support can do for girls in Canada and so lets encourage our government and our peers to do the same for girls in other parts of the world who are in desperate need of equal access to education.