Girl Up,  a vital campaign of the United Nations Foundation, reaches out to American girls to raise awareness and funds to help many of the world’s most vulnerable adolescent girls. Girl Up is about you,  your daughters, your friends investing in girls. With a nominal $5 donation you will support programs for girls go to school, visit a doctor, live more safely, be counted and become more involved in their communities.

How does $5 make an impact?

$5 Can Help a Girl Stay in School
School Supplies. In Ethiopia and Guatemala, both girls and boys are required to go to primary school, but often girls stay at home because their families cannot afford the cost of supplies. In fact, just one in five girls in Ethiopia finish the equivalent of high school, and in Guatemala, four out of 10 girls don’t go to school because they don’t have the resources. $5 helps buy pencils, books and notebooks so that girls can participate in class and stay in school. Goats and Hens. That’s right! For many families, a goat or pair of hens are a valuable source of food and income. Eggs and goat’s milk can be eaten at home or sold at market. In Ethiopia, $5 can go toward the purchase of goats and hens that will serve as incentives for families to keep their girls in school.

$5 Can Help Keep a Girl Healthy and Safe
Clean Water. In Ethiopia, women and girls walk an average of 6 hours a day to collect fresh water for their families. This often prevents girls from attending school and can put them in danger when they are far from home. $5 helps build water points in local communities that bring clean water closer to home. Everyone in the community benefits, and close access means girls stay safe and have time to go to school and study.

$5 Can Help Girls Become Leaders
Girl Centers. Girl centers and girls clubs provide a safe place in the community for girls to come together, meet with female mentors and learn important life and leadership skills. In Ethiopia and Guatemala, girls clubs provide informal education and training in rural communities, and even connect girls with internships so they can learn valuable job skills. $5 can help support girl centers in more communities.

Five Ways to Invest in Girls:

1. Take five minutes to learn about the issues impacting girls in developing countries

2. Share five facts about girls and the campaign by commenting below or through your social networks Facebook and Twitter

3. Send the campaign’s Girlafesto (Image below) to five friends and family members and ask them to join you in supporting Girl Up

4. Donate $5 or more to provide school supplies, health check-ups, and more

5. Host a Girl Up fundraiser in your school, club, or community to raise funds for the campaign by challenging five friends to see who can raise the most funds to help girls.