User:Emptybride/sandboxGeffect

The Girl Effect is a campaign sponsored by the Nike Foundation and the Buffet's NoVo Foundation. According to the campaign's website, the Girl Effect is defined as the unique potential of 600 million adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and the world. It is based off of the common belief in the field of International Development that when given the opportunity, women and girls are more effective at lifting themselves and their families out of poverty, thereby having a multiplier effect within their villages, cities, and nations.

History
The campaign was started when Warren Buffet decided to invest a large portion of his family's funds toward a new initiative. In 2002 he dedicated $1 billion to create a foundation with one specific focus, Ending Violence Against Girls and Women and Promoting Gender equality Worldwide; Empowering Adolescent Girls in the Developing World; and Advancing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the U.S. Buffet charged his son and daughter-in-law, Peter and Jennifer Buffet to run the foundation. With a specific goal chosen, the foundation was able to solidify a large partnership with the Nike Foundation.

Furthermore, the campaign gained momentum at the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. High profile players like Bill and Melinda Gates touted the importance of making sure that girls were on the global aid and development agenda.

The campaign took off with infectious viral videos that quickly illustrated the issues that girls face, some harrowing statistics, and the return on investment that will occur. The videos have been watched over 1.7 million times and counting.

Ten Pillars
Currently, less than $0.02 of each humanitarian aid dollar is invested directly to girls with this disparity it is difficult for them to reach their potential. The Girl Effect Campaign is designed to advocated for greater recognition of their talents and potential. The Campaign advocates on the following ten pillars:
 * 1. Let's See Some ID- many girls in the developing world do not have a formal birth certificate which then makes it near impossible for them to prove their age in order to avoid child marriage, open a bank account, vote, or even get a job.
 * 2. Illiteracy Does Not Look Good on a Resume- a majority of the world's children who have left school are girls. This makes it hard for them to learn and advance as well as threatens their personal safety.
 * 3. Pregnancy Does Not Look Good on a Little Girl- child marriage is a common practice in the areas where girls are marginalized. Their bodies are not considered their property and thereby are subject to violence and abuse.
 * 4. The Face of HIV is Increasingly Young and Female- educating girls in HIV prevention has shown considerable results, but the girls also need to be supported to make empowered choices.
 * 5. A Nice Place to Work Would Be Nice- girls need to be trained on financial literacy as well as given the proper opportunities to work in a safe environment which can provide training for their future endeavors leading to economic independence.
 * 6. The Check is in the Mail But It's Going to Your Brother- a small percentage of the world' aid goes to girls, but when they are given the opportunity, she will reinvest them into the community at a much higher rate than her male counterparts.
 * 7. Adolescent Girls Are't Just Future Women- girls are living now, they deserve programs designed for them in the present, not for their future as mothers.
 * 8. Laws Were Made to Be Enforced- many of the world' nations have laws to protect girls, but the key is ensuring that governing bodies are enforcing these laws in a consistent and fair manner.
 * 9. She Should Be a Statistic- girls have been consistently left out of the research equation. Annual statistical reports need to be produced concerning the welfare of the world's girls.
 * 10. Everyone Gets on Board or We're All Overboard- in order for this campaign to be effective, everyone needs to understand and buy into the campaign.

Theory
In the field of international development, countless studies have observed that girls and women are a better investment because the return on their investment is much higher. Programs that keep girls in school, educate them against HIV/AIDS, provide job training, or healthcare have a greater impact on the community and the country in the future. While many development programs are geared towards women who are impoverished, the adolescent phase from 11-15 is often forgotten because in the most impoverished countries girls are married young and start having children. Investing in girls sets a positive cycle in motion. If girls are in school they have a less of a chance of becoming pregnant. Education is directly tied to birth rate. If they do stay in school they will be able to get a higher level job or a microloan to lift themselves out of poverty. When they do have children, they will understand the importance of education and healthcare and thus the cycle continues.

Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, Amartya Sen has remained a strong advocate for the need to invest in girls. Sen realized that worldwide over 100million girls are missing. This is due to sex-selective abortion, infanticide, and other health related issues that typically go untreated. Sen's work set the stage for foundations and campaigns to emerge.

Participating Organizations

 * The Nike Foundation
 * The NoVo Foundation
 * The United Nations Foundation
 * The Coalition for Adolescent Girls
 * BRAC (NGO)