The new initiative, called #GirlsChangeTracks, will see a group of young visionary women travel via train from India’s state of Bihar to the state of Rajasthan, from July 12 to July 18, 2017. This will be much more than just a physical journey: the girls will embark on a special peer-learning adventure!
The girls from Bihar are already participants in The Hunger Project’s programs focused on adolescent girls, including the Adolescent Girls (AG) Program. Started in 2016, the AG Program has empowered the girls from Bihar with life skills training, engagement with governance systems, awareness about their rights and the importance of active citizenship in local village councils known as Panchayats. The Program has also highlighted the interlinkages the importance of highlighting the girls’ ongoing struggle to address child marriage.
On this special journey, the girls will engage in conversations and learning activities with young women and girls from Rajasthan, discussing issues such as early child marriage, their vision for a better and more equal future, and their economic and social empowerment. During their stay in Rajasthan, the girls, many of whom have never left their communities, will also visit the local bazaars, indulging in unique culinary experiences, meeting with local people and bonding with the local communities.
#GirlsChangeTracks is happening in partnership with Flicka – The Girl Child Platform in Sweden, a global alliance of organizations and initiatives working to improve and strengthen young girls’ position in society. The special journey will also be shared online across social media with the #GirlsChangeTracks hashtag to celebrate the very nature of the journey: broadening horizons, celebrating diversity and enriching girls’ lives with a wide variety of choices, experiences and adventures.
Join the conversation and support this unique adventure! Child marriage is never right. It’s a lost opportunity, and it locks girls in an endless cycle of poverty. The empowerment of girls and women is the pillar of a world without hunger and poverty.
Read our update from #GirlsChangeTracks!
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