Girls in Sierra Leone are impacted when early pregnancy and marriage forces many of them to mature into young women.

Due to the economic crisis in Venezuela, the health system has almost collapsed and there are severe shortages.

More education is needed when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH).

Gender equality is a basic right for all people, including children, but damaging expectations directly contribute to violations.

Globally, women and girls over the age of 15 spend on average 3.2 times more time on unpaid care work than men.

Gender equality is a fundamental children's right. Read about our programs that support increased gender equality for girls and women.

Learn how the Ni Someshe! project in the Democratic Republic of Congo supports the process of improving the rights to education for girls.

Words by Fatima*, a teacher working for Save the Children in Afghanistan

Since 2014, there has been a severe migration crisis in Venezuela. Millions of families have fled their homes to escape violence, the collapse of the Venezuelan economy and political turmoil, which has caused severe food and medicine shortages.

In Bolivia, there are passionate youth, very eager to stand up for human rights. Despite the risks and threats, these inspiring young people challenge the strongly rooted systems of oppression and gender norms. They encounter social backlash, intimidation and violence, while compromising their own security and protection.

According to the 2019 Gender Equality Report, about 70% of women in Mozambique are illiterate, in comparison to 30% of men. This harsh statistic indicates a sad reality: access to education for girls and boys is not equal. Within some parts of the country, cultural practices prepare girls for marriage and motherhood instead of preparing them for school. This is not fair, because girls and boys should be able to enjoy equal rights to access all levels of education. Harmful social or gender norms often prevent girls from accessing an education. It also exposes them to high risks of sexual and gender-based violence, child, early and forced marriage, early pregnancy, and limited agency for decision-making in their lives.

June 16th is the International Day of the African Child to raise awareness around the need for education and opportunities for children in Africa.

In urban Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), adolescent girls and boys face significant barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including minimal or no education on their rights, widespread gender-based violence, and a lack of access to information and services. Adolescence represents a critical window for intervention before most youths become sexually active and gendered attitudes and behaviours are normalized.

November 25, marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence – an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge violence against women, girls and people of all genders and expressions. The campaign starts on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov. 25) and runs to International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10th.

By Samantha Halyk

Gender Equality is a life-saving measure in COVID-19 response

A powerful series of photographs titled “The Female Experience of War” to highlight the unique experiences of girls growing up in conflict.

For International Women's Day, we talked to Sana Alawi, program manager of our SHE SUCCEEDS program in the Middle East, about gender equality and female entrepreneurship. Here’s what she had to tell us:

Every seven seconds, somewhere in the world, a girl under the age of 15 is married. Just when they should be looking ahead to a future full of hope, their opportunities are cut short. They can be isolated. Prevented from going to school, seeing their family or accessing healthcare. They are often prevented from working outside of the home, which results in not having their own income and little decision-making power regarding the resources in their household.

Today is the United Nations’ International Migrants Day. It symbolizes the uncertainty of a child's future, weighing on their everyday lives.

I still remember my first contractions the night of my birthday. I was in denial and absolutely not ready to become a mother just yet: I had an “important” meeting the next day at work, I hadn’t purchased the baby car seat, and even my baby shower was planned for the following weekend. It could not be happening a month earlier! Yet, it did, and a couple of hours later, I had my little boy screaming on my chest. Adam was a premature baby (a premature birth is one that occurs before the start of the 37th week of pregnancy) with low birth weight. In the first 24 hours of his life, he had difficulty maintaining his body temperature, but overall he was a healthy baby. Health professionals monitored him closely while we were bonding “skin to skin” under a warm blanket. I felt privileged to be able to give birth in a safe and intimate space, with midwives providing quality care to my son and myself. Four years later, I am grateful to watch Adam growing healthy and strong.

This October 11th, 2019 International Day of the Girl is celebrated under the tagline “Girl Force – Unscripted and Unstoppable”.

Saynab* is 16 and lives in Somaliland. She got married two years ago, became pregnant but lost her baby a few days before she was due to give birth. Thinking back to what happened to her, Saynab is adamant on telling other young girls in her community not to get married early: “I faced many challenges in my marriage life and I regret a lot about it. I think I would have delivered normally if I got married at an older age. You have also a lot of responsibilities and might not even be able to do your homework if you are still in school.”

Young people are changing the world today: they are advocating for positive change and shaping a gender equal world. From June 3 to 6, up to 1,400 young people from around the world came together in Vancouver to speak up, challenge discriminatory norms, collaborate and build networks. These inspirational young leaders, who are advancing gender equality in their communities and countries, joined more than 8,000 others from a multitude of sectors at Women Deliver, the world’s largest conference on gender equality.

Have you ever seen a just-born premature baby? Don’t worry, most people haven’t. I can tell you they’re generally no bigger than the size of a tissue box, limbs included. Everything you might already think is small and precious about a full-term baby, is even smaller, more fragile and more frightening to touch in a premature baby. And their risk for infection, disease, disability and complications in development are much higher. The truth is, premature births are largely preventable if we address major risk factors. Yet, each year, an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm around the world, with the lion’s share in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.