Dear friend,
It was the late American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead, who boldly said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
To change the world, you need to work expansively, collaboratively, with a commitment to progress. The global movement to end child marriage has made significant progress and garnered greater attention in recent years. But shifting deeply entrenched social norms takes time, patience, and must be sustainably resourced.
Now, thanks to concerted efforts of the global movement to end it, child marriage has gained the acknowledgement it deserves as an issue that must be prioritised.
But girls need more than acknowledgement; they need action.
That is why, two weeks ago, Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage launched the Power to Girls campaign, calling on global leaders and decision makers to take urgent and immediate action to end child marriage. If you joined our virtual festival to launch the campaign, thank you so much for your involvement. It is people like you who are driving the movement forward and will make the ultimate difference for girls’ rights and lives.
No matter what action you take, however small or large, you are one of a multitude of voices around the world standing up to say – child marriage must end.
If we want all girls to live their lives freely, we need to support and grow our movement, and bring in new energy and voices to maintain forward momentum. If you have any doubts about your power to contribute to change, remember Margaret Mead’s belief that even a small group of thoughtful people can change the world. “Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
In solidarity,
Faith
Dr Faith Mwangi Powell
CEO
Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage
Further reading
- Decade of Progress Report: After 10 years of Girls Not Brides and the global Partnership to end child marriage, this recently published report looks at the progress we’ve made, insights gained and offer steps we must all take to accelerate change over the next decade.
- A virtual festival celebrating Power To Girls: Did you miss the launch of our flagship global campaign? You can catch up with all the highlights in this blog.
- Child Marriage Learning Partners Consortium: Explore resources published by partners of a new Consortium, which includes Girls Not Brides, created to foster more strategic and effective action to end child marriage by connecting research to policy and programme needs.
