To mark International Women’s Day, the foundation announced its Global Initiative for Women and Girls – giving $15 million to 15 international organizations working to improve human rights and opportunities for women and girls.
Save the Children will use its grant to help adolescent girls and boys in Sierra Leone to make their own informed decisions about marriage, pregnancy, and sexual and reproductive health. The program aims to benefit at least 37,000 girls and women, boys and men.
“Every seven seconds a girl under the age of 15 is married. Often girls in marriages are isolated, prevented from going to school, seeing family or accessing healthcare,” said Bill Chambers, President and CEO of Save the Children.
“We are working to prevent child, early and forced marriages, so that girls have a chance of a brighter future. To do this, we must address the underlying conditions which perpetuate gender inequality and make alternative opportunities – such as education – more accessible for girls” added Chambers.
The Save the Children program will empower girls to understand their human rights and make their own decisions about marriage and pregnancy. It will establish safe spaces with trained facilitators for adolescents to attend classes on health and life skills, as well as implementing curriculum on gender inequality and power dynamics.
The Slaight Family Foundation grants are going to organizations that work mainly in impoverished, fragile or conflict-affected areas. Each focuses on different issues facing women and girls – including human rights abuses, child marriages, sex trafficking, legal support, HIV/AIDS and education.
“The aim of this gift is to improve conditions for women and girls living in difficult circumstances, who represent some of the world’s most vulnerable populations,” said Gary Slaight of The Slaight Family Foundation. “The projects we are funding will leverage the expertise of these vital organizations to protect women and girls in the most fragile countries from direct harm, rebuild the lives of those who have been unjustly affected by conflict, deprivation and disease and give them the tools and support they need to survive and thrive.”
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About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In Canada and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes to advance children’s rights – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
About the Slaight Family Foundation
Since 2013, The Slaight Family Foundation has funded a number of strategic initiatives to multiple organizations – starting with gifts to five Toronto hospitals to support priority health care issues, followed by initiatives to address global humanitarianism, healthy development of children and youth across Canada, support for Indigenous issues and the Allan Slaight Seniors Initiative. With this latest gift, The Slaight Family Foundation’s Global Initiative for Women and Girls, these strategic investments total $125 million.
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About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In Canada and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.