This is MY Moment: The Girl Declaration

"I was not put on this earth to be invisible. I was not born to be denied. I was not given life only to belong to someone else. I belong to ME. I have a voice and I will use it."

These are the first few lines of The Girl Declaration. So empowering! Even more inspiring when you hear Yaweta Chavula and Laiba Shahzadi announce the initiative on behalf of Nike at the Clinton Global Initiative. Watch until the end of the video below to see how they steal some of the thunder from Chelsea Clinton!



On this Blog Action Day, I've decided to write about Girl's Rights, since the health and well-being of girls has been shown to be an indicator of how well all humans are doing. You could argue that if we protect the rights of girls that we are protecting the rights of all people.

I'm inspired by this Girl Declaration as a woman and as someone who didn't always believe in the power of my voice. I've since learned how important it is for me (and all girls and women) to speak up for that in which we believe. The words of the Declaration are based on research and consultation with over 500 girls, ages 10-19, living in poverty in 14 countries around the world. It was written with girls, for girls. I think this Girl Declaration should be posted in every classroom to remind girls of the power in their voice. Of course, that presumes that girls are allowed and encouraged to attend school in their community!

The goals of The Girl Declaration are so powerful in their potential to impact everyone -- given that there are close to 600 million girls aged 10-19 living in the world today or approximately 8.5% of the population. [UNICEF State of the World's Children 2011]

GOAL 1—EDUCATION
Girls reach adulthood with relevant skills and knowledge to participate in economic, social and cultural life.

GOAL 2—HEALTH
Adolescent girls have access to safe, age-appropriate health and nutrition information and services, and possess the confidence to make healthy transitions to adulthood.

GOAL 3—SAFETY
Adolescent girls are free from violence and exploitation and are supported by enforced laws, child protection systems and their communities.

GOAL 4—ECONOMIC SECURITY
Adolescent girls know how to build and protect their economic assets and earn a safe income. Governments, communities and the private sector uphold girls' economic rights.

GOAL 5—CITIZENSHIP
Adolescent girls have equal access to services, opportunities, legal rights and personal freedom, and are able to fully participate as citizens of their communities.

The Girls Declaration was written because girls were left out of the original Millennium Development Goals to eliminate extreme poverty around the world by 2015. Now that girls have been included, what will we do to support the growth and development of girls around the world? What can YOU do to support a girl in your family or community? Share your thoughts and ideas here in the comments, or you can always tweet me on Twitter.

This is OUR Moment!