PHOTO: Girls having fun whilst learning with VOICE4Girls
I learnt from VOICE 4 Girls that child marriage is illegal. I also learnt about the problems of teenage pregnancy and didn't want my sister to face them. I convinced my father to cancel my sister's wedding and motivated my sister to continue her education." Maheshwari, VOICE4Girls particpant
Our ±«Óãtv Radio 4 Appeal enabled our small charity to raise an amazing £25,877 for the work of our grassroots partner in India, VOICE4Girls. Your support has made it possible for them to keep helping adolescent girls to speak up and change their worlds. VOICE use an innovative, interactive, peer-led programme of education to teach girls about their bodies, their health and their human rights, empowering them to find their own voice.
Girls like Maheshwari, who felt empowered to speak up when her sister was to be married off. VOICE gave her the knowledge and the skills to negotiate for her and her sister’s rights.
The impact of Covid-19 across the world adds to the challenges girls like Maheshwari face. VOICE are working to ensure that they don’t become a ‘lost generation’. School closures during lockdown mean these girls are at even greater risk than ever of dropping out entirely. VOICE have highlighted that girls are at risk of losing their ‘safe spaces’; of domestic violence; of being married off, or forced into work, as families face intense pressure to bring in money however they can.
Your funding will help VOICE4Girls continue to fight for gender equality for these girls in India. The knowledge they impart gives girls the power to make their own choices and to take control of their lives. They can share and use what they’ve learnt with their friends, families and communities, like Maheshwari did, creating lasting social change in India. Thank you for recognising that when you invest in a girl, everybody wins.
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