January 24th is celebrated as National Girl Child Day. In India, the sex ratio is abysmal, to say the least. According to the 2011 census, India’s child sex ratio continues to fall and has declined to 914 girls for every 1,000 boys as compared to 927 in 2001.
What is National Girl Day?
National Girl Day is celebrated to break myths related to the girl child and to dismantle stereotypes associated with gender. There is a need to focus energies on reducing the widening ratio between young girls and boys which can be accomplished through spreading awareness. Further, an emphasis on educating the girl child and ensuring she has equal access to resources when compared to her male counterparts.
Very often girls are given less food, less health and care, less education and sometimes even less affection and support. Many times, young girls are forced to stay at home and work or help with the family while their male siblings are sent to school. Children as young as 7 start working, whether it be at a garbage dump, sifting through rubbish to find something to sell, or are forced into begging by their parents. While this time should be used for learning new and exciting things in school, building and enhancing their skills to form a solid foundation that will ensure a stable and supported future.
What can be done?
We need to work towards bridging the gap between genders, and breaking myths related to gender. Girls can do anything! Girls are not a bane to the family, but a boon.
One major part of empowering and enabling is to educate. Education is one of the main methods through which change can be brought about. Through education, you affect not just the life of one individual. Learning has a ripple effect and the positive effects are felt across families, friends and acquaintances. Our girls are dedicated and students and love learning. They put in a lot of hard work, whether it be in academics or in co-curricular activities, and it shows in their results!
How does Wishes and Blessings help?
At Wishes and Blessings, we believe that women of all ages should be empowered, from an infant girl to an elderly woman who is in the last stage of her life. There are multiple projects dedicated to helping the underprivileged, and these have a special focus on aiding and uplifting the girl child. Some of these are Sponsor a Childhood, the Daily Meals Programme and Street to School. These programmes focus on education, health, nutrition and therefore an overall development of the children. These programmes have helped beneficiaries immensely, with some of our children becoming rank holders! Our girls are on their way to becoming strong and independent women, ready to face various challenges that life throws at them
Join us as we celebrate the girls and women in our lives! Get in touch and help us change the lives of many girls waiting to lead us into the future!