BY: MIWAKO CHANG
The International Day of the Girl; also known as the International Day of Girls or the International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated every year on October 11.
This special day began as part of a campaign, titled “Because I am a Girl”. It was aimed at promoting the rights of young girls in developing countries. It was eventually brought to the attention of the Canadian federal government by Former Canadian Member of Parliament, Rona Ambrose. She advocated for this day until it was adopted by the United Nations. On December 19, 2011, the UN officially declared October 11th as the International Day of the Girl Child. “When we invest in girls today, we invest in future entrepreneurs, mentors, political leaders, mothers, activists and innovators.”, the UN writes.
The Daughters for Life foundation is a charity based in Downsview that works towards providing young women from the Middle East with opportunities for accessible education, helping them discover their true potential, and becoming tomorrow’s leaders and voices for change and development in Downsview and beyond. They do this through competitive scholarships for undergraduate and graduate-level studies, an awards program that recognizes female university students in accredited academic programs in the Middle East, and a unique fellowship program that grants post-secondary students the opportunity to work with a variety of institutions around the world. They offer a variety of different forms of support, from individual financial awards to full academic scholarships.
The Daughters for Life Foundation was founded by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, in memory of his three daughters Bessan, 21, Mayar, 15, and Aya, 13, who were killed in January of 2009, when an Israeli tank shelled the Abuelaish family home. Daughters for Life was created to honour their love for learning and their hopes for a better-educated world. This foundation believes that empowering young women through education will help develop leaders of change to advocate for better living conditions throughout the Middle East.
“All can live in harmony. And all can reach their full potentials spiritually, emotionally, physically and intellectually.”, Abuelaish says.
Visit www. daughtersforlife.com for more information.