Initiative for Development & Empowerment of Adolescent Girls
The most important gift anyone can give a girl is a belief in her own power as an individual, her value without reference to gender, her respect as a person with potential.
Adolescent Girls - A Perspective
The situation of adolescent girls is particularly complex. Deep-rooted traditions of patriarchy and the subordination of women and girls, make it difficult for adolescent girls to realize their rights in many parts of the society in India .
Gender inequities limit the ability of adolescent girls and women to contribute to their society's social, economic and political growth and development, reducing productivity and overall development prospects, especially in poor countries. Research from the World Bank shows that investments in adolescent girls' development translate into significant, long-term benefits for entire societies.
There are high social returns on investing in adolescent girls
- -Closing the gender gap in education adds 0.5 per cent to a country's per capita Gross National Product.
- -An extra year of schooling for girls reduces fertility by 5 to 10 per cent.
- -Each year of schooling increases a woman's income by 10 to 20 per cent.
- -Income earned and controlled by mothers has a 20 times greater effect on the health of their children compared with the same income controlled by fathers.
- -Meeting Healthcare needs of adolescent girls improves wellbeing and productivity of the beneficiaries as well as society as a whole.
In alignment with many internationally identified goals, EduCARE India pledges to work to improve the quality of life of adolescent girls by supporting and assisting efforts of other organizations and individuals to put in place focused and comprehensive strategies at regional and country level. EduCARE also plans to utilize its energies and resources to maximum impact in an organized way by conducting some issue based events and projects.
© 2008 EduCARE India