Join us today in celebrating International Day of the Girl. Oiselle will donate 10% of its sales on oiselle.com from October 11, 2014 to the Girls Gotta Run Foundation.
By Kayla Nolan at Girls Gotta Run Foundation
It’s International Day of the Girl! Girls Gotta Run Foundation is excited to partner with Oiselle to celebrate the strength and courage of girls around the globe. The International Day of the Girl was established two years ago to recognize the enormous role that girls have in creating healthier, more vibrant futures for themselves, their families and their communities. GGRF is proud to work everyday with inspiring girls in Ethiopia and celebrate their accomplishments on the International Day of the Girl.
The Girls Gotta Run Foundations invests in girls who use running and education to empower themselves and their communities. Last year, we partnered with Oiselle to organize a sports bra drive for girl runners in Ethiopia. In just a few weeks, we collected nearly 300 new and lightly used sports bras for the girls who participate in our running programs in Ethiopia! This year, we are excited to provide more ways for GGRF and Oiselle supporters to invest in girl runners as change-makers in Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, girls face enormous obstacles to their basic access to education, health care and safety. Today, 24% of girls in Ethiopia are married by 15 and 49% are married by 18. The United Nations Population Fund identified early marriage as the single most important reason why girls’ education is undermined in almost all regions of Ethiopia. At GGRF, we are working with girls to re-write these statistics and create a new future for themselves and their communities through running and education. GGRF provides Athletic Scholarships for girls to attend school, participate on our running team and complete the GGRF life-skills curriculum. Each girl receives a full academic scholarship including school uniforms, school supplies, free lunches, healthcare, tutoring and more. As part of the GGRF running team, Athletic Scholarship recipients also receive running gear for the year, snacks after practice and clean drinking water. Through a two-pronged strategy of creating safe spaces in our running program and providing school scholarships to deserving girls, GGRF works to eliminate the threat of early marriage, ensure the safety of girls while they attend school, and reduce the financial burden of school to encourage higher levels of education for girls.
Girls Gotta Run Foundation is a girl revolution – one run at a time. As a grassroots organization, we are able to invest in girl change-makers thanks to the generous support of companies like Oiselle and individuals like YOU. To invest in the future of girl runners in Ethiopia, please visit www.girlsgottarun.org and learn how to become an Athletic Scholarship Sponsor, host a GGRF fundraiser, share our work with a friend or make a donation today!