Today, October 11, 2017, is the sixth annual International Day of the Girl. Started by the UN in 2011, the day was created to bring attention to the young girls around the world who still face inequalities every day of their lives. Need more convincing? Here are some devastating numbers from across the world:
According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 4 million more girls are not in school across the world than boys. That’s a problem.
Also a problem? Two-thirds of the people in the world who are illiterate are women and girls.
Almost a quarter of women between the ages of 15 and 24 in developing countries never completed elementary school.
So, here we are. International Day of the Girl. Let’s celebrate all the girls in the world with some quotes, shall we?
1) “Some people really feel uncomfortable around women who don’t hate themselves. So that’s why you need to be a little bit brave.” – Mindy Kaling
2) “To all the little girls who are watching, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.” – Hillary Clinton
3) “I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard…we cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai
4) “Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” – G.D. Anderson
5) “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” – Maya Angelou
6) “There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.” – Rihanna
7) “When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit. So let’s keep going — let’s keep going until every one of the 161 million women and girls across America has the opportunity she deserves to have.” – Hillary Clinton
8) “I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them. I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me about quiet strength and dignity.” – Michelle Obama
9) “To the doubters and naysayers and everyone who gave me hell and said I could not, that I would not or I must not – your resistance made me stronger, made me push harder, made me the fighter that I am today. It made me the woman that I am today. So thank you.” – Madonna
10) “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” – Oprah
11) “I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn’t mind leading.” – Amy Poehler
12) “I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femineity, and I want to be respected in all my femaleness because I deserve to be.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
13) “I am a woman. Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me.” – Maya Angelou
So, there you have it. International Day of the Girl is our day. Live it up.
Visit the website, dayofthegirl.org. to learn more.