News
October 10, 2008
Adolescent Girls Initiative
On Friday, October 10th, Liya Kebede was a guest speaker at the launch of the Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI). The World Bank, Nike Foundation, and various governments organized the initiative to empower adolescent girls and increase their access to opportunities for success in developing countries.Other supporters include the Clinton Global Initiative, Novo Foundation, Goldman Sachs, and the Cherie Blair Foundation.
AGI was founded on the premise that adolescent girls are essential to securing their nation’s future, both financially and socially. Speakers predicted that investing in girls would generate positive returns, including fortifying the country’s infrastructure and reinforcing the global economy. It would also greatly improve health conditions in developing countries. Liya noted that investing would enable girls “to contribute to the financials of her family, which means a better life for her and her children.
It would also delay marriage and pregnancies. Young mothers, ages 10 to 19, are the most at risk. Studies show that “in Ethiopia, more than half of maternal deaths among women under age 20 were found to be due to unsafe abortions. And if she does decide to accept her fate and have this baby, she is not only five times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy than women in their 20's, but [she] also puts her baby at higher risk of dying.
Towards the end of her speech, Liya commended the tremendous undertaking: "By stressing economic empowerment, better access to education and health including sexual and reproductive health this initiative strives to empower girls to participate actively, effectively and equally with boys at all levels of social, economic, political and cultural development. This project is currently underway in Liberia. In a year, it will expand to other countries, including Afghanistan, Nepal, Rwanda, and Southern Sudan.
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