UN – United Nations

My unforgettable visit today to Gihembe Refugee Camp in Rwanda with the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign reinforced two things. One: Our collective work to fight malaria is paying off.Two: We still have a lot of work to do to end malaria deaths for good. More than 14,000 people live in Gihembe in northern Rwanda, although it’s difficult to call these mud houses perched on terraced hillsides home. Most of Gihembe’s residents are […]

For three years in a row, I have spent one particular February night at a cafe in Dexter, Michigan surrounded by good food and music. The element that makes these nights special is the memory of one remarkable boy’s fight against extreme poverty, a fight that has been continued by a community committed to his dream of its eradication. February 2, 2013 marked the third annual “Airplane Day”, a celebration in honor of that boy,

  As we celebrate International Women’s Day and the important contributions of women and girls everywhere, let’s also take time to act. Worldwide, millions of women and girls experience violence and discrimination and are denied an education, essential health services, and economic opportunities. To change the status quo and turn challenges into opportunities, we must speak up for the rights of women and girls everywhere. When women and girls are safe, healthy, and empowered, they

  Last week, 10×10 – a partner of our Girl Up campaign – released Girl Rising, a film with a simple yet powerful message: educate girls, change the world. This feature-length film follows 9 girls from 9 countries, whose stories are written by 9 women writers from the girls’ respective countries and narrated by 9 actresses including Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Salma Hayek. This movie captures unforgettable stories from some of the toughest places

For many adolescent girls and young brides, child marriage is perceived as a death sentence, given the scarring effects for the health, education, and life of girls. Although child marriage is a widespread problem in Malawi, it has so far not received the attention that is needed to end it and children continue to be abused and suffer in silence.  It is estimated that every year, 10 million girls are married before they reach the