Girl Up : GUATEMALA, A UN Campaign for empowering girls from Guatemala

GIRL UP : GUATEMALA

775 girls are supported in Totonicapan and Huehuetenango

 In a place where poverty and inequality are prevalent, indigenous females are by far the most disadvantaged and vulnerable group. The rights of adolescent girls

are not protected and thus many girls and women do not attend school and are forced into child labor. More than 2 million children in Guatemala do not attend school, most of whom are in rural areas. The prevalence of child labor is higher in

Guatemala than anywhere else in Latin America. Girls can be forced to spend many hours working, leaving little time for school or to just be a girl.

In Guatemala, Girl Up supports adolescent girls in funding a United

Nations joint program that delivers an integrated and comprehensive package of services in partnership with national partners and local implementing organizations. These programs address the complex challenges that limit indigenous girls’ opportunities for success.

Through the UN joint program,

Girl Up empowers girls by: Approaching the work with four strategic goals:

Providing an increase in social investments for adolescent girls Increasing the legal age of marriage to 18 years Reducing teenage pregnancy, sexual violence and trafficking Supporting civil efforts that demand comprehensive sex education

Strengthening government support and capacity:

The Girl Up-funded joint UN program works with the national government of Guatemala- the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and

National Institute of Statistics- to support adolescent girls from around the country, with specific focus on indigenous girls in rural areas.

 BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS:

Through partnerships with local organizations, the program has implemented activities that have strengthened the social skills of hundreds of adolescent girls from rural communities. Additionally, boys, family members and care givers, community leaders and health technicians have also participated in training processes to become allies in the prevention of violence and teenage pregnancy.

Wesbite: WWW.GIRLUP.ORG

For more article Please Refer to Brigitte Perreault: http://www.brigitteperreault.info