By Elizabeth Usovicz, a past Rotary International Director and chair of Rotary’s Girls’ Empowerment Global Task Force
What does it mean for a girl to be empowered? This question is especially relevant on 11 October, the day set aside by the United Nations as International Day of the Girl Child.
Canadian-Indian poet Rupi Kaur expresses empowerment beautifully in her poem, “Being Independent:”
“I do not want to have you … fill the empty parts of me. I want to be full on my own. I want to be so complete I could light a whole city.”
Challenges girls face
The path to lighting a whole city is filled with challenges for girls throughout the world:
- An estimated 129 million girls are currently not in school, and 97 million of these girls are of secondary school age.
- Sixty million girls who do attend school experience gender violence on their way to school, or while in school.
- Five hundred million girls and women worldwide have no access to the products and facilities needed to manage their own menstrual health.
- Women and girls spend more than 200 million hours a day – more than 22,000 years – fetching water.
The bright light: Rotary
Rotary’s Girls’ Empowerment Initiative, and the projects led by Rotary and Rotaract members, acting as people of action, are changing the lives of girls everywhere.
Emily O’Ryan, a leader in both Rotaract and Rotary, was outraged by the high femicide rate in South Africa. She engaged 14,000 youth in a postcard campaign to create awareness and government action. Her commitment has led to the first gender violence prevention curriculum for youth in South Africa. This multi-club, multi-country project is funded by a Rotary Foundation global grant.
In Australia, Rotary member Fi Shewring founded SALT, Supporting And Linking Tradeswomen. SALT teaches girls and women how to use tools and create a career path into the trades. As Fi observes, “Jobs have no gender.”
Rotaract and Rotary leaders Nikita Williams and Mary Shakleton tailored the Toastmaster’s leadership development program and delivered an online learning experience to girls in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. Beyond learning public speaking techniques, the girls who participated found the courage and confidence to speak in their own voices.
In Egypt, toys are powerful! Girls’ Empowerment committee chair Omaima El-ghaiesh and Rotary members in Egypt partnered with Duma Toy Company to provide high-quality doll making training for underserved girls and women. The training program has resulted in a 40% employment rate for participants who successfully complete the program.
These are just four of the tens of thousands of ways that Rotary clubs and members are creating hope for millions of girls worldwide.
When a girl is empowered, as Rupi Kaur expresses, she is “full on her own” – able to make her own voice heard, and make her own choices for her life. With the support of Rotary, empowered girls become empowered women who can change the economic trajectories of entire countries – and light up the whole world.
Ways to participate
For more information about how your club can participate in the Girls’ Empowerment Initiative, visit President Gordon R. McInally’s Presidential Initiatives page.
To hear more about these projects from Emily, Fi, Nikita, Mary, and Omaima, join the Girls Empowerment project celebration. Watch on demand beginning 11 October.
https://blog.rotary.org/2023/10/11/celebrate-international-day-of-the-girl-child/