March 8th, 2011 
The United Nations’ new “for girls, by girls” campaign, Girl Up, encourages youth in the United States to help girls in developing countries to become the next generation of leaders, together.
There are about 1.2 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 19 around the world today. More than half of these young people are adolescent girls living in developing countries, struggling for the opportunity to go to school, see a doctor, be included in their community, and suffering from violence.
“Investing in adolescent girls is critical to meeting the world’s development goals. The well-being of adolescent girls is the key to eliminating poverty, achieving social justice, stabilizing the population, and preventing foreseeable humanitarian crises,” said Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation.
In Ethiopia, women and girls walk an average of six hours a day to obtain freshwater for them and their families, preventing them from attending school. 
With the help of Girl Up, wells will be built in 36 communities to provide clean water closer to the homes of families.
As part of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, they have invested $44 million in support of girl programs around the world through their work on initiatives such as the Coalition for Adolescent Girls and the United Nations Adolescent Girl Task Force. The Foundation’s adolescent girl initiatives include: raising awareness and advocate for policy change, build communities of girl advocates and girl champions, and mobilize resources for successful interventions that positively impact adolescent girls.
Give a “High Five” to girls in developing countries by donating $5 or more. Your “High Five” will provide girls with basic needs such as access to school supplies, clean water, life-saving health services, safety from violence, and more. You can make a difference in creating better futures for teens in countries like Malawi or Liberia by supporting the Girl Up campaign.
