MANILA, PHILIPPINES – World Vision, one of the leading child-focused organizations in the country, launches the 3rd year of #GirlsCan, a fundraising campaign aiming to give girls a better future and to help girls reach their potential and achieve their dreams.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to pose challenges for the future of Filipino girls. According to International Justice Mission (IJM), online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEC) have increased 4x times since the beginning of the community quarantine and was identified usually as a family-based crime. In education, over 1.2 million girls could drop out of school due to the pandemic, specifically because of the limited access to distance learning.
In response to these alarming and fast-rising issues, World Vision is launching this year’s #GirlsCan campaign, a global movement that intends to empower young girls and give them opportunities through the organization’s Child Sponsorship program. This campaign also drum beats the celebration of International Day of the Girl on October 11.
“A lot of Filipino girls are struggling right now, and they don’t deserve this. They must look forward to a better future and not a dark and uncertain one. Education is a concrete way to empower them to be able to take more control over their own lives,” shared Ms. Gretchen Ho, World Vision Ambassador, and women empowerment advocate. “I’m encouraging everyone to please support World Vision’s #GirlsCan campaign and let us help the girls achieve their dreams despite being hurdled by the challenges of the pandemic”.
“We are very thankful with the overwhelming support of everyone for the #GirlsCan campaign these past two years. But our work is not yet finished, there are still a lot of issues we need to address and a lot of girls waiting for our help. In the 3rd year of #GirlsCan, we hope and pray, that you will continue to support this initiative and Filipina girls who continue to need urgent help because of the pandemic,” said Mr. Rommel Fuerte, World Vision National Director.
#GirlsCan was originally introduced in 2019 as “1000 Girls” and successfully supported thousands of Filipino girls throughout the years. To know how you can support the #GirlsCan campaign, visit https://www.worldvision.org.ph/1000girls/. You may also follow /worldvisionph on Facebook and @worldvisionphl on Instagram for updates.
