Photograph of girl taken in a class
Hope for India's Girls
Bringing Them Life
UNICEF recently released wonderful news for the young children of our world! Since 1990, deaths in children under 5 years old have been cut in half.[1]
Indian girls, however, have little to celebrate.
India is the only country in the world where baby girls consistently die at a higher rate than boys.[2] This was true in 1990, and UNICEF numbers reveal that it is equally true in 2015.
The picture comes into starker perspective when you consider that there are many more baby boys born in India than baby girls. Unborn Indian girls are aborted at an alarmingly high rate.
These numbers reveal a heartbreaking reality: If a girl in India manages to be born at all, she stands a much higher chance of dying before she reaches the age of 6.
Why? The Indian newspapers chalk it up to gross neglect, and this must be true, but there is also evidence from a number of sources that young girls are killed by their own families and mothers to remove their perceived burden to the remaining family members.
It is difficult for us to even wrap our hearts and minds around.
How can we help? Although there are laws in India against the tragedies facing her girls, the numbers reveal that they have not made a dent in the problem.
We believe there is a better way.
We must begin to change the attitudes
that say girls are a burden, and that say women are worth less than men
It is only when Indian mothers begin to understand their own significance, that they will be able to empower their own daughters to live and to thrive!
In addition to teaching the students how to read, write and lift their families out of poverty, the classes teach the students that as women and girls they are valuable. Their value is grounded on the solid rock of God’s unchanging love for women as equals with men.
The young girl shown above was photographed in a class in India! Because her mother was a student, this girl's future can be filled with hope and opportunity, instead of pain and heartache.
Studies from the classes show that students stop promoting child marriage, and begin placing their daughters (and sons) into school instead. Village by village, community by community, hearts are changing.
Our voices and our assistance can turn the tide for the women and girls of India!
We exist to bring Hope for India’s Girls.
"Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter,
Oh hold them back.” Proverbs 24:11
And those who are staggering to slaughter,
Oh hold them back.” Proverbs 24:11
[1] http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/APR_2015_8_Sep_15.pdf
[2]
The tiny island country of Tonga has floated in and out of the
statistics from year to year. Unlike India’s consistently large
results, Tonga’s numbers are small, inconsistent and may not be
significant.