African Girl Effect

What does it mean for me to part of the Girl Effect movement?

It is with great gratitude that I can be involved in such a rewarding movement, which will potentially positively impact many girls and women.

I come from a generation of strong independent  African women, who originated from a matriarchal society in Malawi.

As far back as I can recall my grandma's were active women in the community; they were business women who provided for their families. They attended to various tasks such as farming, raising children (more than 4-7 children), provided food, clothes and tended to those in the community who needed extra support.
Following on from my grandmothers is my mother and aunts generation who are just as impressive;  driven and ambitious women. These women always looked for opportunities to further develop their education and career goals. Moreover, they saw no obstacles in life and achieved dreams through education, whether in Malawi or foreign countries. 

As descendants of the commonwealth some of these women graced the opportunity to meet the most influential people in society. They have travelled and lived in foreign countries. All these opportunities were founded in education and pursuits of life goals. My mother as a child in a small Malawian village had a dream- she actualised her American dream. 

 Various generations of women in family achieved their dreams through education, working in full time office jobs and specialised in businesses trades (i.e. tailoring, hairdressing and baking).

As for my generation, these women have provided us girls the opportunities to actualise our dreams through education. I look up to these women, without them I would not be where I am today. I have achieved and developed a persona which encourages me everyday to work hard in life. I am ambitious, independent and never shy away from opportunities.

I would also like to acknowledge all the generations of men in my life, who have played a critical role in subconsciously promoting the girl effect within my family.

It's  now my generations turn to extend the girl effect movement onto others.

Now the burning questions...................

I wonder what life would have been for me, if neither of the women in my family had educated themselves? 

 I wonder what life would have been if none of the men in my family had not been open minded to the potential of educating a young girl?

I wonder whether I would have this opportunity today to participate in the girl effect movement?

Although I have painted a lovely picture of my life, this is not what life is like for most Malawian girls. Most have yet to be impacted by the girl effect movement, rather they are plagued with adult responsibilities, work rather than have opportunities to go to school, become young mothers, live in poverty and some are afflicted by deadly diseases such as AIDS.

All in all..............
 To enable the girl effect to become effective, all men and women need to be involved in this movement. This is the only way we can liberate young girls to become educated and become leaders within their communities. Politicians need to change their focus to providing more public facilities which will enable and empower the girl effect movement. 

Now the hard FACTS!!!!!!

Little research has been done to understand how investments in girls impact economic

growth and the health and well-being of communities. This lack of data reveals how
pervasively girls have been overlooked. For millions of girls across the developing world,
there are no systems to record their birth, their citizenship, or even their identity. However, the existing research suggests their impact can  reach much further than expected.
THE RIPPLE EFFECT

When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2  fewer children.
(United Nations Population Fund, State of World Population 1990.)

An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages  by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school:15 to 25 percent.

(George Psacharopoulos and Harry Anthony Patrinos, “Returns to Investment in Education: A Further Update,” Policy Research Working Paper 2881 Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 2002].)

Research in developing countries has shown a consistent relationship between better infant and child health and higher levels of schooling among mothers.

(George T. Bicego and J. Ties Boerma, “Maternal Education and Child Survival: A Comparative Study of Survey Data from 17 Countries social Science and Medicine 36 (9) [May 1993]: 1207–2.)

When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40

percent for a man.

(Chris Fortson, “Women’s Rights Vital for Developing World,” Yale News Daily 2003.)

Join the Girl Effect Blog Campaign and become your a leader in your own right

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