Today is Girl's Day. Now I don’t think it’s an official holiday or anything, but this morning the Universe has gone out of it’s way, in very concrete ways I might add, to make sure that I heard the news.  

Do you listen to the messages the Universe sends to you? Are you able to connect the Dots of ‘coincidence’ peppered through your day  or do you miss the  subtle signs entirely? It’s not a judgment that I am rendering, merely a question I am asking.

So many folks are caught up in their daily grind of activities  that  it often takes a forced silence to get them to ‘hear’ themselves think. I know how easily that can happen. Sometimes we forget that we are here for a reason, a  higher purpose , a  mission to uncover our own secret of who we are and why we are here..

Girls Day.. did you know that  75 million children should be attending Primary School today and are not. 55 % of them of girls.  Yes, 41 million girls will never go to school or get formal education, but they will get an education in hardship, They will know what it’s like to do back breaking labor from sun up to sun down, they will know the pain of losing their children to harsh conditions and they will know what it’s like to see their friends die in childbirth because of infection and lack of medical attention. But they won’t know how to spell their own name. Seems a shame don’t you think that in today’s world, a girl can work 2 jobs and be married by 14 but she can’t spell her name or that of her child.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste! Yes indeed it surely is, but so is an opportunity to do something  about it.  Oh I know, you already do so much. I get it. I really do. Just yesterday I was thinking the same thing.  All the emails, calls and in person solicitations I get EVERY DAY for money to help this or that organization is becoming overwhelming. Some folks make you feel bad or guilty, even when you KNOW that you already do so much.

Obviously you can’t say Yes to everyone, not only would you be in the same position as those you are trying to help, but it makes no sense to spread your resources so thin. No, I say pick your battles, Choose the ones that resonate with your spirit. There is never any shortage of issues that need our attention.

Oh yes, GIRLS!

“When education is distributed unequally in a society, economic growth almost never occurs and human talent is wasted – that is, a poor country's most valuable asset remains unproductive.”
– Director, David M. Kennedy Center of International Studies, Brigham Young University

You know they say that Necessity is the Mother of Invention and they speak a lot about Women’s Intuition and how behind “Every successful man is a Woman” but it seems awful and just plain WRONG, to force a child into marriage. Maternal health risks are particularly troubling as the risk of death in pregnancy and delivery for girls under the age of 15 is five times higher than for women in their 20s.

Nature thrives within a delicate balance and harmony. Yin and Yang. Male and Female, equal and yet separate, different. Both are necessary for life, sustainability of our species and our planet.

When a girl marries before she is 17, it diminishes her chances at education, it endangers her health and cuts short her personal growth and development. It sure seems a shame then to waste 50% of our resources

What can we do? Well for one, we help by co-sponsoring the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 and supporting the act when it comes to a vote. This important legislation:

:: Recognizes child marriage as a human rights violation.

:: Develops of a comprehensive strategy to prevent child marriage and empower young girls.

:: Integrates child marriage prevention approaches throughout U.S. foreign assistance programs.

:: Scales up proven approaches and programs to end child marriage.

The costs of child marriages are too high to be ignored. Societies cannot progress marriage relegates girls and women to a life of poverty, but the real answer is Education.

Knowledge is POWER! Every female child on this planet must be given a minimum of a primary school education.  Reading and writing opens the door for inspiration, innovation and change.

The Unstoppable Frankie Picasso
www.unstoppablefrankiepicasso.com