Investing in Girls as Champions of Change - International Day of the Gild Child 2019
Leaders, environmental stewards, champions of change from Tonj, South Sudan.
Young girls are champions of change in their communities. By making clean water accessible, we are helping to activate this potential.
When we sat down with these three young girls last year in Tonj, they were walking an hour to collect water from an open hand-dug well. Three rounds were required to get enough water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. The long walks left them vulnerable to threats of violence, and would cause neck and back pain from carrying the load through tall grasses and shrubs.
With the demand on water for household chores and family members, young girls’ personal hygiene is not a priority when water is scarce. Water scarcity negatively impacts girls’ education - with little water for personal hygiene, a young girl on her period would stay home from school.
Three months ago, Rainmaker’s well was installed a 10-minute walk from their homes. This enabled the girls to fetch enough water for household use and for personal hygiene in a short time.
This time is the currency that allows young girls to stay in school, to complete their homework, to play together, and ultimately, to become community changemakers.
Not only does education support girls in asserting their basic rights, but educating girls is among the most powerful ways to tackle climate change. Educating girls and empowering women through family planning, taken together, are listed as the #1 solution to tackling climate change by Project Drawdown.
Through the foundation of clean water, Rainmaker seeks to activate the potential of every individual, especially youth, to be active participants in the development of their societies.
We are investing in girls. In rural South Sudan, where young girls face many challenges, clean water is an important first step in activating their potential. With your support, we can empower many more through our community-driven development solutions.
We invite you to join us in enabling more young girls, boys and communities to champions of change!
For #Everygirlchild, the opportunity to be a #ChampionofChange.
Take Action
From today until October 19th, thanks to a generous group of matching donors, every dollar you donate will be matched up to $2,000! Be a part of transformative solutions, stand for women and girls, for a safe and prosperous future for all.