“I only have $20, can I still help empower girls around the world?”
You might not believe it, but the answer is yes! As a collegiette™ myself, I’m on a tight budget and short for time this holiday season. I understand how hard it is for some of us to mark everyone off on our gift shopping list this year, let alone think of donating to charity. But All Girls Allowed (AGA) is one nonprofit that you might want to consider checking out! They’re making a big difference with small donations from supporters like you!
The One-Child Policy, formally established in China in 1980, restricts families to one child and forces women to have abortions if they become pregnant again whether they want to or not. Women have no right to choice in China. It’s the government who chooses for them.
Because so many families want sons and are afraid of being punished under the One-Child Policy, they commit gendercide to ensure their only child is a son. Gendercide happens through using ultrasound screenings to determine whether the fetus is a boy or girl and then aborting females or abandoning them after birth to orphanages. Families feel like they have no choice and girls are unwanted. Sadly enough, 1.1 million girls are lost to gendercide each year.
But All Girls Allowed (www.allgirlsallowed.org) is helping give these girls the chance to live full, successful, empowered lives in their home countries.
Chai Ling, a former student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstration, is now heading this nonprofit, which aims to provide legal aid, counseling, and other assistance to victims of forced abortions and sterilizations in China. She also plans to build orphanages and to launch a campaign to change the mindset in China about preferring boys.
As collegiettes™, we can make a difference for these young girls! You can sponsor a baby shower gift for one mother and baby in China for a small donation of $20.
Don’t have the $20 to spare yourself? No worries! There’s no cost involved in signing the All Girls Allowed petition, and you can even start an AGA student chapter at your school! You can also help their fundraising efforts by giving up one of your items on your holiday wish list and asking for a donation to All Girls Allowed instead. Starting your own fundraising page is a great way to do this and don’t forget to help spread the message by sharing this video. Help show mothers in China that their daughters are valuable with a gift—it’s a great cause to get behind this holiday season.