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At just 15, Atou* is already the mother of three children after being married off to a man three times her age when she was only 11.
Niger has the highest rate of child marriage in the world, with 76 per cent of girls married before the age of 18 and 28 per cent married before they turn 15 .
Too many girls have their childhoods, their education and their choices taken from them by child marriage.
It does not have to be this way. Donate Now.
*Name changed to protect privacy.
Like millions more people around the world, Hoodo’s family has been displaced from their home in search of food, water and safety.
Hoodo has already buried two of her children. They died after arriving at a displacement camp for families affected by Somalia’s worst drought in decades.
Hoodo’s remaining children are too tired and weak from hunger to play with their friends or learn. Their mother is grieving the death of two children while trying to keep hope alive for her surviving children.
Every day, she searches for food in the camp, often starving herself so her children can eat. Mothers like her are having to make heartbreaking decisions – such as which children to feed when there is not enough to feed all of them.
On many days, Hoodo’s children go to bed hungry. In Somalia alone, 1.8 million children under five years of age are acutely malnourished.
Despite the grim circumstances, somehow the dreams of children survive. 11-year-old Najah lives in the same displacement camp as Hoodo. She says:
“I want a better life than this. I would love to get an education. I want to learn how to read and write. My dream is to become a doctor so that I can help myself, my family and community.”
In times of food scarcity, girls often eat less and last. 60% of the people facing food insecurity today are women and girls. Each skipped meal can mean a lost chance at education, a step towards exploitation, or an increased risk of child marriage.
Child marriage is further fuelled by food insecurity. In times of crisis, families may resort to arranging marriages for their daughters. Girls who are married before they turn 18 are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to stay in school. They are often forced to have children before their bodies are ready.
By joining our regular-giving program, Change for Girls, you’re supporting girls and their families around the world to thrive. When girls are educated and supported, their entire family and community benefits.
Change for Girls supports our work in addressing the immediate needs of girls and their families, and the deep-rooted barriers to gender equality. Your regular donation can mean girls and young women around the world are free from violence and have choices for their futures.
And when girls are educated and supported, they can create incredible change:
