Dear friend,

It’s been a while since we were last in touch. Over the past year, our focus has been on supporting our Partnership and learning from the many challenges that COVID-19 has presented – and continues to present – in many parts of the world. For the global movement to end child marriage, many of those challenges still lie ahead, as we look towards recovery and continuing progress to a more gender equal world.

We want to thank you for your ongoing support and being part of the movement, and to say hello to those of you who have recently joined us, subscribed to our newsletter, liked or followed us on social media.

Let us pick up where we left off by re-introducing our new and improved newsletter! Every month, you will receive inspiring stories of change, thought- provoking insights from Girls Not Brides’ leaders, news and updates from our global Partnership.

This month we're profiling the story of a group of extraordinary girls and young women from the Dominican Republic, starting with Yohanna’s story...

How a butterfly takes flight

Photo credit: Girls Not Brides/Fran Afonso

Yohanna is 10 years old and lives in the Dominican Republic, where 1 in 3 girls are married or enter an informal union before they turn 18. Yohanna, however, has her own aspirations and is already set against early marriage.

"As a young girl, I shouldn't marry an older man. I need to finish school first, and then go to university. Girls can do the same things boys can do! When I grow up, I want to be a chef."

Yohanna and other girls like her are growing and learning with Girls Not Brides’ member organisation The Mariposa DR Foundation. As “Mariposas” (or “Butterflies” in Spanish), the girls benefit from holistic education and empowerment to help them take flight.

Read the full story [[link removed]]

Yohanna and many of the other Mariposas have avoided child marriage, however there are 12 million girls globally who are married before they’re 18 each year. Every girl's story is worth telling if it prevents another girl from being married too young.

In this series of newsletters, you will hear from more activists, girls who avoided child marriage and married girls – as well as getting news, updates and insights from Girls Not Brides.

Thank you for being on this journey with us and for your steadfast support for girls like Yohanna.

Keep an eye out for our next newsletter and exciting updates and stories from our global Partnership.

Further reading

Girls Not Brides Impact Report 2020 [[link removed]]: Achievements that tell of resilience and commitment across the last year

Child protection and child marriage: [[link removed]] This latest brief focuses on how investing in effective child protection systems can expand and accelerate action to prevent and respond to child marriage at scale.

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