Note: An expanded version of this article is available here.
_________________________________________________________________________
By LISA GOODMAN
- PHOTO: United Nations Foundation
Bridget Duru, 13, is an eighth grader in Montgomery Village, Maryland. Bridget’s mom is from Tanzania. So when Bridget expressed interest in the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up campaign, the person she contacted suggested that she interview teenage girls at an orphanage in Tanzania on her next visit.
According to the United Nations Foundation, supporters of the Girl Up campaign “are encouraged to give a ‘High Five’ to girls in developing countries by donating $5 or more” to provide girls with basic needs.
Here is what Bridget had to say about her involvement in Girl Up.
IndyKids: How did you become involved with Girl Up?
Bridget Duru: While interviewing adolescent girls at an orphanage in Tanzania, I noticed that they have the same dreams and goals as my friends and I, but it’s harder for them to reach those because some of them weren’t in school because the orphanage couldn’t afford the tuition fee.
What is your role with girl up?
There are 17 teen advisers in the United States, and our role in our communities is to raise awareness and funds for the Girl Up campaign. We also advise the Girl Up staff since it is “for girls, by girls.”
What have your experiences with the Girl Up campaign taught you about the issues facing girls around the world today?
It’s taught me how fortunate we are and how easy it is to help these girls. Girl Up helps girls go to school, and if they are in school, there is a greater chance that they won’t get married so young, and if they don’t get married so young, they won’t have kids as early, and if they don’t have kids so early, they will have less health problems.
To learn more about the Girl Up campaign, go to www.girlup.org
