Why Invest in Adolescent Girls?

Just had a friend bring this to my attention (thanks Nicola!) and I think it's a super important read. It's put out by the Nike Foundation, United Nations Foundation and the Coalition for Adolescent Girls. 

Read it here - http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/ourmeetings/PDF/actionareas/Why_Invest_in_Adolescent_Girls.pdf

My highlights?

• Out of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, 70 percent are girls.
• One-quarter to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before 18, and girls under 15 are five times more likely to die during childbirth than women in their 20s.
• 75 percent of all HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa among people ages 15 to 24 are young women.When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has two fewer children.
• Child marriage rates were halved among 13- to 15-year-olds in Bangladesh who were enrolled in school for 3 years.
• Girls’ education is proven to increase not only wage earners but also productivity for employers, yielding benefits for the community and society.
• The impact of investing in girls is intergenerational. A mother with a few years of formal education is considerably more likely to send her children to school, breaking the intergenerational chain of poverty. In many countries each additional year of formal education completed by a mother translates into her children remaining in school for up to an additional one-half year.

And my personal favourite?

When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families.

If you are not the reading type, watch this awesome video by GirlEffect.org on 50 million girls in poverty, but on how that can mean 50 millions solutions.