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!