About us
Girl Up is a global empowerment and development initiative of the UN Foundation which advocates for girls and young women to be leaders in the movement for gender equality. ​ All our events are aimed toward raising awareness and fundraising for girls' education across the world, especially in developing countries.
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Events to achieve this include, but are not limited to, bake sales, raffle ticket draws, fundraisers, panel discussions on the importance of education and campaigning for issues related to womanhood and girls' education.​
"Girls are powerful. When they’re educated, healthy, and safe, they transform their communities. When girls stand up for girls in need, they empower each other and transform our world."
- Girl Up
So... how does it work?
All money raised through Girl Up is spent on funding the programs and initiatives put into place by the United Nations Foundation. The five focus countries are the following:
Guatemala
Girl Up supports adolescent girls in Guatemala by funding a United Nations joint program that delivers an integrated and comprehensive package of services in partnership with national partners and local implementing organizations. These programs address the complex challenges that limit Indigenous girls’ opportunities for success.
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Ethiopia
Girl Up supports adolescent girls in Ethiopia by funding United Nations programs that deliver comprehensive services to displaced Somali refugee girls. In Ethiopia, UN programs are offered through the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The program empowers girls by: providing educational support, creating safe schools, and improving family economics.
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Liberia
Girl Up funds a comprehensive program run by United Nations agencies—UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, and UNESCO—that works with the hardest-to-reach adolescent girls to ensure that they can earn an income, stay healthy, and avoid harmful traditional practices by: providing tools for the future, offering girl-friendly health services and reducing harmful traditional practices.
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India
Girl Up supports the Action for Adolescent Girls initiative, run by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in the Rajasthan region of India. The goal of the program is to protect adolescent girls’ rights and help girls delay marriage and have children when they are ready. The program educates girls and women on important health issues and makes them more aware of public services available to them. Additionally, the program aims to educate girls—who are both in and out of school—as well as provide them with vocational skills so they can one day earn an income.
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Uganda
Girl Up is supporting adolescent girls in Uganda by funding the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) programs that aim to ensure that displaced girls get enrolled in school and have access to a quality education.
