A woman competing in the art competition
Two months ago one of our new partners helped girls lead a campaign against child marriage. Boys and girls, unified by the cause, worked together to reach their community. Almost 200 people came to the events during the two day campaign. The campaign had many highlights that included:
- A play performed by 11th and 12th grade students on the issue of child marriage. This play conveyed a message of child marriage being a crime as per the India legal system.
- A competition of traditional art, called Rangoli (creating designs on the floor with dry colors) was held and 10 women participated in the competition. The theme for this competition was Gender Equality.
- Signature campaign with 50 signatures received in support of stopping child marriage in the village.
- A tribal dance called Tarpa was performed by the women of the village.
- A female lawyer appealed to all the mothers present to train their girls towards education and financial independence.
The campaign was a huge success! The community decided to empower their daughters to pursue higher education, which allows them to grow, build a successful life and career, and become financially stable. Additionally, the community pledged to end child marriage in their village. This is huge progress!
Three girls acting out a skit about the horrors of child marriage.
IGP’s mission in India is to see female gendercide ended. One way we do this is through combating child marriage. We know that when young girls are married, they are more likely to be abused. The girls’ mortality rates increase, and they are expected to bear sons, perpetuating the problem of gender inequality. We want girls to have equal chances at life and opportunity! The recent campaign was a success because our mission was conveyed through our partners and the girls leading the charge towards creating an India free from child marriage.
At the end of the campaign, our team received an appreciation letter from the village, thanking us for the work we did in empowering the girls to share with their communities the importance of ending female gendercide.
The girls were filled with joy at the results of their campaign!
Women participating in the signature campaign against child marriage.
Celebrate this good news with us! Because of our donors’ generous support, we are able to continue reaching hurting, broken families, and impacting communities across India! Our end of year giving celebration is happening now! You can give today to give joy to other girls waiting to be rescued.
– Sarah C.
