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International Day of the Girl Child is a chance to recognise, celebrate and support girls worldwide. It’s also an opportunity to bring greater awareness to the challenges that girls face, particularly girls living in poverty. While we’ve made progress towards gender equality, we’ve still got a long way to go.
What is the theme of International Day of the Girl Child in 2023?
A new theme is chosen for International Day of the Girl Child each year to reflect contemporary priorities and the pressing issues faced by women and girls. The theme for 2023 is “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being”.
In 2023, we’re witnessing a range ofmovements and actionsdetrimental to girls’ and women’s rights. Reports suggest that it could take another 300 years to close the global gender gaps. Around the world, girls and women are facing anti-feminist rhetoric and policies that threaten their legal protections. This includes increased restrictions over their sexual and reproductive health rightsand free speech. Inadequate protection prevents girls from fulfilling their dreams. Child marriage, for example, robsgirls as young as 12of their childhood and threatens their wellbeing.
This year’s theme speaks to moving forward in achieving gender equality. We need to invest in girls’ futures to reclaim and accelerate progress and empower them to reach their full potential.
Amplifying girls’ voices around the world
To mark International Day of the Girl Child, we’re taking a moment to amplify the voices of girls and young women across the communities in which we work. Despite setbacks – in some instances this includes being denied basic human rights (access to education, health, and safety) – all speak to the innate power and resilience of girls. With the right support there’s nothing girls can’t achieve!
Here’s what they had to say about girls’ rights and gender equality.
Girls like Hai (17) are speaking up for their rights.
“Many people hesitate to speak their mind because they are worried about how other people will react. But if you stay silent, people might never abandon their outdated prejudices. Let’s speak up at the right time, in the right place, to our girls.”– Hai, 17, Vietnam
“I want to become a businesswoman. Women can do business just like men – they just need to have the opportunity. I want to go on to higher education and study in the city. I am confident to live far away from my family to achieve my dreams. What boys can do, girls also can.”– Nita, 11, Cambodia
“Women can work, we don’t have to be dependent on others.” – Nhi, 11, Vietnam
Nhi (11) wants to earn a living to support herself and her family.
“It is critical that adults protect the child right to leisure, play, and culture for all of us as a collective. I am proud of myself to be able to do many things without fear of any obstacles. Both men and women have equal rights.” – Manyta, 15-years-old, Laos
“In the present day and age, we should be able to get rid of inequality in our society.”– Aliya, 16, Laos
“I’ve never seen a female village chief. I want to see a woman become my village chief to show that women have the same capacity as men.” – Rasmei, 10, Cambodia
“When I grow up, I want to be a brave and strong person. I don’t want to ever look down on anyone because everyone is different.” – Chenda, 12, Cambodia
An equal future: supporting the rights of girls everywhere
Rasmei (10) loves to read in her school library.
At ChildFund, we don’t believe that girls’ futures are set in stone at birth. Every girl should have the right to choose their own path, access education and live life on their own terms. We’re committed to supporting the rights of girls and promoting gender equality in the communities in which we work. This includes supporting female leadershipand championing positive female role models to inspire young girls to claim their rights and dream big! It also means a laser-focus on girls’ education.
Equal access to learning opportunities and resources is key to unlocking girls’ potential. Education helps break the cycle of poverty and create a brighter, more prosperous, future for all. Yet 130 million girls are denied an education worldwide. More still needs to be done to remove the barriers preventing girls accessing a quality education.
You can support equality for women and girls today
If you’d like to show your support for girls on International Day of the Girl Child, consider donating to our Girls’ Education Appeal. You will help girls in developing countries go to and stay in school by providing them with the learning supplies, resources and support needed to access a quality education.
And don’t forget to spread the word! Sharing information on social media or speaking with colleagues, friends or family about the challenges girls around the globe face can help raise awareness and promote equality. After all, starting a conversation is the first step to bringing about meaningful change.
Together, we can empower girls and help give voice to their needs.
Thank you from ChildFund Australia
Together, we’ve created positive change for children and young people around the world despite the ongoing adversity that many families and communities continue to face.
Your commitment has enabled ChildFund and our local partners to support children and young people to be as safe, healthy, and educated as possible.
By Margaret Sheehan,
CEO ChildFund Australia
Scroll down to read more on how your support has helped make a difference for children this past year.
In times of conflict or disaster, people in Australia have come together to provide food for displaced families and safe spaces for children.
Below are just some of the ways that your donations have made a positive difference this past year. Thank you for creating a better world for children and young people everywhere!
Emergency food and water for families
Severe drought, conflict, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic led to more than 4 million people in Kenya in need of emergency food assistance in 2022. More than a million children and mothers were malnourished and urgently needed food and water.
Teso and her family lost dozens of camels and goats – which they relied on for income and food – from ongoing drought in Marsabit County, northern Kenya, where they live.
Teso’s three-year-old daughter Kabale became malnourished because the family could not afford enough food to eat. “Many, many times we would be hungry all day and night,” Teso said.
Through the donations of thousands of supporters like you, ChildFund Kenya was able to provide Kabale with meals of nutrient-dense porridge to treat her malnutrition.
Teso and her family also received food and cooking supplies, such as cooking oil, maize, beans and rice. They also received a transfer of emergency cash, which Teso used to buy milk and extra food for Kabale.
The support was enough to turn things around. “The food we got was a relief for our family because we couldn’t afford to buy food,” Teso said. “It has helped to improve Kabale’s weight and health.”
During the drought, ChildFund also worked with local partner organisations to help families access clean water. Water facilities such as boreholes and wells in communities were upgraded, water trucks were arranged for schools, and families received water purifiers. Farming families also received livestock feed to help keep their animals alive.
In Ukraine, donations provided displaced children and their families with food, medicine, and shelter. Response efforts led by ChildFund Alliance members, WeWorld and ChildFund Deutschland, in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, have reached more than 110,000 people to date. In Moldova, more than 3,000 Ukrainian children have access to safe spaces where they can play, learn, and experience a sense of stability. This support has been so important for children during times of great distress.
Better nutrition for a better childhood
In Sri Lanka, children and their families experienced devastating food shortages and rising living costs. The result was many children going hungry, and ongoing shortages led to malnutrition.
In response, community kitchens were set up in villages. These kitchens were run by dedicated mothers and volunteers, with food and equipment supplied by ChildFund Sri Lanka. They fed families at risk of hunger in their community by providing large, healthy, and well-balanced meals three times a week. Children up to 5 years old were given priority for the nutritious meals.
Mothers leading the kitchen shared valuable knowledge to other parents about how to prepare healthy meals for their children at home. Families attending the kitchens also received seeds, equipment, and training to start their own fruit and vegetable gardens. While the current focus is on dealing with the immediate food scarcity, these skills and knowledge are assisting families into the future.
Mother-of-five and volunteer Nilanti says the community kitchens were a “pillar of strength” during a tough period. “I don’t know where we would have got our meals from if the kitchens weren't here,” she said.
Nilanti's youngest child, two-year-old Shenu, was at risk of becoming malnourished when the community kitchens started.
The family was struggling to earn enough income and could only afford basic foods.
Nilanti used the seeds and equipment she received at the community kitchens to grow a fruit and vegetable garden at home.
Today, Nilanti and her family's garden is flourishing with tomatoes, bitter gourd, beans, leafy greens, and more!
With the meals from the community kitchen and the fruit and vegetables from the garden, Shenu now has a more balanced diet and is healthier. “Her weight increased 600 grams in just a month!” Nilanti said. “I'm overjoyed.”
Making school accessible for all children
Fifteen-year-old Seila* (pictured below) from Battambang Province in Cambodia wants to be a teacher. “I want future generations, especially children living with a disability, to benefit from education like I have,” he said.
Seila has difficulty walking and sleeping because of pain in his hip. He developed a cyst on his hip when he was nine years old and while it was removed, the pain never went away.
Over time it prevented him from walking or riding his bike to school, a 10-kilometre journey from his home. Without alternative transport, Seila sometimes missed class and fell behind in his studies.
However, Seila was able to undergo a second surgery to correct his hip pain and a new leg brace has enabled him to attend school.
Today, he is hopeful about the future and a step closer to his goal of becoming a teacher. “Now that I’m going to school regularly, I’m doing better at my studies,” he said. “I placed sixth out of 28 students this year.”
Children living with a disability are among the most marginalised groups in Cambodia and across the world. Negative social attitudes towards disability in communities often lead to children missing out on an education.
ChildFund Cambodia and local partners, Khmer NGO for Education and the Cambodian Disabled People’s Organization, are working with families and communities to improve the lives of more than 360 children living with a disability.
ChildFund has helped to provide disability aids and equipment, create inclusive learning environments, and change discriminatory attitudes towards disabilities. Teachers are learning how to include children who live with a disability in the classroom, and parents and community leaders are learning how to overcome social stigma and advocate for the needs of their children.
Stigma and attitudes towards disabilities in the community are now starting to change. “My friends know more about my disability and how to support me,” Seila said. “They encourage me to attend class every day. They tell me not to give up because I can achieve anything anyone else can.”
Seila’s community is leading the way on a Disability Empowerment and Education project supported by ChildFund. The project aims to provide children living with a disability with basic rights, including access to health care, education, and the opportunity to contribute to their community.
Thank you for creating a better world for children
We couldn’t do it without you!
The inspiring commitment of thousands of people like you, families, businesses, and the Australian government has made all this, and so much more, possible for children and young people living in poverty.
Thank you for believing every child needs a childhood and contributing to a better world.
Together, we can support more children and young people to say: “I am safe. I am educated. I contribute. I have a future.”
