Little Sisters Fund Joins Girls CHARGE to Reach More Than 15 Million Girls by 2019

New York, NY, September 29, 2015 (Newswire.com) - On September 29th, 2015 Little Sisters Fund will join the Collaborative Harnessing Ambition & Resources for Girls’ Education (Girls CHARGE), a global initiative addressing girls’ education challenges. The announcement will be made by former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard during the Accelerating Progress in Girls’ Education event hosted by the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution and the Clinton Foundation’s No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project.

“We are thrilled to join with Girls CHARGE to mobilize people and resources around the issues that matter most in girls’ education,” said Trevor Patzer, co-founder and executive director of Little Sisters Fund. “Time and again, educating and empowering girls has been shown to be one of the best investments to create lasting, positive change, and it’s wonderful to see people and organizations coming together to create a movement.”

We are thrilled to join with Girls CHARGE to mobilize people and resources around the issues that matter most in girls' education. Time and again, educating and empowering girls has been shown to be one of the best investments to create lasting, positive change, and it's wonderful to see people and organizations coming together to create a movement.

Trevor Patzer, Co-Founder & Executive Director, USA, of the Little Sisters Fund

As an official Girls CHARGE partner, Little Sisters Fund will support access to education and support systems for marginalized and disadvantaged girls in Nepal.  In each of the next four years, Little Sisters Fund will accept into its scholarship programs 100 new girls from districts severely impacted by the April and May 2015 earthquakes. Each girl supported by the Little Sisters Fund receives a full scholarship as well as  comprehensive support—spanning mentoring, library access, basic healthcare, health and hygiene education, and awareness-raising on a broad array of themes—to ensure she thrives in school and beyond.  Staff and mentors meet regularly with girls to provide high-touch support and track girls’ progress in areas such as school attendance, academic performance, community involvement, and future hopes/goals

The Girls CHARGE event in New York will also preview the upcoming book release, What Works in Girls’ Education: Evidence for the World’s Best Investment, and include a discussion with authors Gene Sperling, former National Economic Adviser to President Clinton and President Obama, and Rebecca Winthrop, senior fellow and director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings. A second panel discussion with CHARGE partners will explore innovative models for cultivating local level leadership in girls’ education, a crucial element for accelerating progress. After each discussion, panelists will take audience questions.

The event will be held at on September 29, 2015 from 1:00pm-4:00pm at the Citi Auditorium, 399 Park Avenue, 13th Floor, New York. 

About Little Sisters Fund
The Little Sisters Fund supports economically disadvantaged girls in Nepal to become educated, empowered leaders. By investing in at-risk girls with long-term scholarships, Little Sisters Fund fights the injustices of child trafficking, child marriage, and child labor. Complementary programs that span mentoring, quality education, health, and community support ensure girls not only have access to school, but can succeed there and beyond.   Established in 1998, the Little Sisters Fund has grown from a single scholarship to currently serve more than 1,900 girls through nine programs. Little Sisters Fund graduates are nurses, journalists, teachers, engineers, leaders in their communities, and proud mentors to the next generation of Little Sisters.

About Girls Charge
Launched as a 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action and championed by Former Prime Minister of Australia Ms. Julia Gillard, the Clinton Foundation, and the Brookings Institution, Girls CHARGE brings together over 50 public, private, and civil society organizations and has committed more than $800 million to reach more than 15 million girls in 40 countries by 2019. Addressing issues of school access, school safety, quality learning, life transitions beyond secondary schooling, and local leadership for girls’ education, Girls CHARGE continues to grow and serves a community to share best practices, research, learnings, and M&E models.

 

Contact Information
Catharine Morgan
catharine@littlesistersfund.org
617-249-4266