Save a Girl from Child Marriage with a Scholarship

Because of your gift, 14-year-old Dina can stay in school and not become a child bride. Thank you!

Dina loves to learn and she does well in school. She is the youngest child in her family, and her parents love her very much. But when village members began to influence her father to marry her off to an older man he decided to do it—even though she is only 14 years old!

Because they are so poor it is hard to find enough to eat, Dina’s father knew her marriage would mean one less mouth to feed. And he was promised that his daughter would be taken care of. He didn’t know the horrible life that child brides have—the loneliness, isolation, poverty, and abuse they often suffer. And he didn’t know that Dina’s immature body could be irreparably damaged by having a child at such a young age. 

Dina and her mother knew about these things because of a class they attended about children’s rights, parenting skills, early marriage, and reproductive health. So when her father wanted Dina to get married, they went to the child protection committee and asked them for help. Members of the committee convinced Dina’s father of the bad impact of early marriage and the importance of girl’s education. When he understood this, he called off the marriage and allowed her to continue studying. 

Girls who stay in school are six times less likely to be married off before their 18th birthday.

Thanks to the scholarship you gave, a girl like Dina is able to attend school. An education saves her from child marriage and enables her to rise above poverty and give back to her family and community in ways that help them as well. 

Thank you so much for giving to save Dina and girls like her from child marriage!

Your gift provided a scholarship for Maria in Bangladesh to attend school! Because of that, she was saved from becoming a child bride. Thank you!

When Maria was only nine years old her father left the family and they were destitute. By the time Maria was 12, her mother decided to give her in marriage to an older man because she could no longer afford to pay her school fees.

Maria was terrified! She knew other girls who had been married young, and their lives were lonely and filled with back-breaking manual labor. Getting married at her age would put her at risk of serious health problems that could continue for the rest of her life. She wanted to stay with her mother and brother, and to go to school.

But there was no money to pay for her school fees and, without that, Maria’s mother didn’t see a reason for her daughter not to get married. She wanted Maria to be taken care of and she believed a husband would provide that.

Then, because of the generosity of people like you, Maria was given a scholarship, and she was able to stay in school. That meant she didn't have to get married. She has continued her education and worked hard to gain incredibly high marks. Her goal is to become a teacher and work with poor and disadvantaged children like herself.

Girls who stay in school are six times less likely to be married off before their 18^th birthday. Staying in school means Maria will have a good job one day and escape the cycle of poverty that child marriage brings.

Thank you for giving Maria a way to rise above poverty and have a better life!