It’s time to send out a warm welcome to Sewanee’s newest club, Girl Up Sewanee. Girl Up is a United Nations Foundation campaign organized to protect the rights of young girls all around the world, and as the United Nations Girl Up website states, “Girls are powerful. When they’re educated, healthy, and safe, they can transform their communities. Led by a community of nearly half a million passionate advocates raising awareness and funds, our efforts help the hardest to reach girls living in places where it is hardest to be a girl.”
Girl Up was brought to Sewanee by Ashley Krueger and Bethany Hamson, who are the leaders of the Girl Up Sewanee campus chapter as well as just overall magnificent human beings. “My role is simply to get people around Sewanee excited about girls and inspired to help out this organization. I’m so excited to share this amazing organization with our campus,” Krueger said. Girl Up Sewanee’s other leader, Bethany Hamson, discussed her excitement for the group as well, saying, “Girls are great investments for the future and are full of so much untapped potential. I’m so excited to be able to empower girls to reach their full potential all the way from Sewanee to Liberia.” Krueger continued, explaining the organization’s main goals. “Girl Up’s major argument is that failing to educate girls or forcing them into marriage is not only uneconomical but unjust. Girl Up works to change marriage laws in countries, seeks out leadership and education programs, and they are also known for making resources more accessible for girls.” On the organization’s website, they list some jarring statistics that demonstrate both the incredible need for and importance of their work. To name just a few:
“The second most common cause of death for girls between the ages of 15-19 is complications from pregnancy and childbirth.
75% of HIV-infected youth between the ages of 15-24 are girls.
50% of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls 15 or younger.
One in seven girls in developing countries is married before the age of 15 (excluding China).”
Within the Girl Up Sewanee chapter which already has fifty-one passionate members, the main objectives are to raise awareness for issues girls are facing and to raise money for the organization through fundraising so that changes can be made on a larger scale. If you’re interested in joining Girl Up, feel free to contact Ashley Krueger or Bethany Hamson, or ask to join the Facebook group Girl Up Sewanee. If you’re interested in the issues Girl Up addresses, check out the United Nations Girl Up website, or take some time to watch Girl Rising , a documentary on Netflix that highlights the issues girls face around the world. So once again, welcome Girl Up Sewanee, and let’s get ready to make a difference.
YSR.
Girl Up statistics cited from United Nations Girl Up website: https://girlup.org/impact/why-girls/