International Women's Day: UNDEF and Pippi join ONE Campaign for girls education
Around the world today, 130 million girls didn't go to school. Not because they didn鈥檛 want to, but because they weren鈥檛 able or allowed. They are denied an education for a variety of reasons, from cultural norms and costs to violence and extremism. The result is that these 130 million girls don鈥檛 have a fair chance to live a decent and productive life, and the entire world misses out by not benefitting from their potential.听
That is why UNDEF has joined the ONE campaign ahead of International Women鈥檚 Day on 8 March, with the aim of making the world pay attention to these girls by counting them, one by one, out loud, all the way to 130 million, in a video that will make people listen. and for elected officials to hear and see. Because #GirlsCount.听
This was Annika Savill's message: "1907. Because it is the birth year of Astrid Lindgren, who gave the world Pippi L脿ngstrump, the original girl power. Because every girl deserves the power that comes with knowing how to read and count. Join the count at ONE.org.鈥�.
The campaign will meet politicians and leaders around the world on 8 March to ask them to help provide the resources for girl鈥檚 education, and to remove the barriers that exist. Already over 250,000 people have signed the campaign's open letter, and many more are expected to join. 听
ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization founded by Bono and other activists. Strictly non-partisan, it has engaged more than seven million people around the world taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa -- based on the belief that the fight against poverty isn鈥檛 about charity, but about justice and equality.听
