Let us all support education of the girl child and empower the whole community

www.virungaprograms.com

On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child. Basically, the resolution was meant to recognize unique challenges that girls face around the world.

Almost seven years later, girls have shown their resilience in almost all spheres of life, that what men can do they also can do, and even better, as the saying goes.

In the whole Virunga massif, we have seen women now taking a leading role in conservation efforts. This is just a fraction of what women can achieve when they are empowered, particularly through education. Women in this region are now involving themselves in tree planting, and sensitizing their communities about the importance of conservation.

But this is not all. Some of the women are now serving as tour guides, rangers and porters. These are economic activities that help to uplift the lives of their families, while they contribute to protection of wildlife. They also teach others about illegal activities like poaching in the national parks.

The issue of girl child is a global problem. But it is so much deep in Africa where economic and social issues still run deeply.

Particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the war torn region is grappling with the effects of girls not attending schools. Some of them chose to be girl soldiers or wives to men soldiers at a young age when they should be attending schools to secure their future.

But all they hope for is normal lives, where they can raise their future families. The recognition of girl child should be a moral responsibility for those who care about life, and not just to be left to institutions like the UN. So, as we celebrate 11 October as a day specifically dedicated for the girl child, we should look back and forward to what the world has achieved in promotion of the girl child, particularly in education.

Virunga Community Programs promotes development of the girl child in all spheres. They are our sisters today and tomorrow they will be our mothers. We hope that through educating the girl child, we are securing a better future for the next generation. You who is reading this piece can make a change by supporting our programs that target education of the girl child in the wider Virunga range, particularly in Northern Kivu where education remains a challenge due to incessant conflicts that has been running for many decades there.