3.3 Billion Ways to Change the World: The G(irls)20 Summit

Story by Sydney Skov, Tostan Volunteer in Dakar, Senegal

The World Cup will have to share the spotlight as the global movement to empower women and girls takes center stage in June. The Women Deliver conference, at which Tostan was present, wrapped up this week in Washington, D.C. and later this month, a new campaign will add even more momentum to the movement. 
 
A powerful innovation—the coupling of a compelling awareness campaign and ground-breaking summit—is set to give a new voice to the world’s 3.3 billion women and girls in the form of the first ever G(irls)20 Summit.

The global campaign, modeled on the G20 Summit, is currently gathering grassroots ideas on how to reach the MDGs most important to women and girls before the inaugural summit in Toronto on June 16, just ten days before the G20. Hosted by a group of international organizations including Tostan partners from the Nike Foundation and the ONE Campaign, The G(irls)20 Summit will focus on child and maternal health as well as education and economic prosperity of girls and women.  The conference will include one girl as a representative from each G20 member: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK, USA and the European Union.

Empowering women and girls isn’t just a hot topic; it’s something that we at Tostan work to help communities to achieve every day, bringing human rights based education to thousands of men and women across Africa. Add your voice to the movement by finding your number on the G(irls)20 website. Help empower women and girls as the world gears up for the inaugural summit and don’t forget to follow events leading up to the Toronto event on the G(irls)20 Twitter and Facebook pages.