When many American girls wake up in the morning, they probably put on their favorite outfit, pack a nutritious lunch with a water bottle and set off to school to see their friends. Although this is normal for some girls, others in less fortunate areas of the world may have never experienced this seemingly ordinary routine.
Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, allows American girls to help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls with much needed aid. Through this campaign, girls in developing countries are given the opportunity to fulfill their dreams despite societal constraints that hinder them from attending school, staying healthy or living free from violence.

According to GirlUp.org, people can give a “High Five” to young girls by donating $5 or more to the campaign. This donation not only gives these girls hope of a better future, but also provides them with the basic needs of living a safe and healthy life. Giving even a small donation can allow more girls to complete secondary school, receive health services or fund girl-focused community campaigns to stop early marriages.

There are many frightening statistics about female youth. According to GirlUp.org, 90 percent of the worldwide domestic workforce are girls, 143 million school-aged children are not in school, and more than half of them are girls. One in seven girls in the developing world marries before she turns 15 and almost 50 percent of all sexual assaults are against girls 15 or younger.
Some argue that Girl Up is sexist towards young girls and does not allow boys to achieve the same opportunities. However, Girl Up believes that girls in developing countries do not have the same rights and privileges that boys do and need a bigger boost when it comes to living their dreams and thriving in life.

With Girl Up, people can speak for girls who do not yet have a voice. People can give young adolescents the opportunities most take for granted and allow them to turn their biggest and brightest dreams into a reality.