Supporting indigenous mentors to reach more girls

Such an exciting month for the Population Councila and Abriendo Oportunidades! In addition to our normal activities with the networks of mentors, girls and adolescents, the 73rd UN General Assembly happened. Our Program Director, Silvia Tum, was invited to give a speech on the event Empowering Girls, Openning Futures organized by the Council in New York and we wanted to share five key messages she pointed out: 

1. "The life of indigenous girls and adolescents is one that exists in a context of poverty, exclusion and inequality - it is a life that becomes more dificult through the years. Pursuing their dreams requires a double or triple effort becouse of the situation they face on the family and community environment."
2. "We must have the certainty of being ourselves with freedom."
3. "At age 16, I was a girl in the Abriendo Oportunidades program. Through it, I learned about self-steem and sexual and reproductive health, gained the knowledge and skills to make my own decisions and drew a life plan that let me take a diferent path. Now I am an independent woman who fights for her dreams and has the circumstantes to reach them."
4. "I dream girls can pursue a bright future without endangering their lives and that more indigenous women be able to the same -or even greater- opportunities than I have."
5. "What I've learned through Abriendo Oportunidades, is that we can decide for ourselves. We can change this reality and our voice matters. The question is: What are we willing to do? If it's not us, who?

Make sure to watch the full panel of experts in our Facebook page and to spread the news about our event. We wish to raise visibility of young indigenous women in the Americas and to disseminate the good news about girl-centered programming. Thank you, our Global Giving family, for join us in our journey and for believing in the power of girls!

With gratitude,

Links:

• Watch the full event on our Facebook page!